


Two Hearts Drawn Together

by Chelsea Frew (chelseafrew)



Series: Deaf!Harry 'Verse [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Deaf Character, Fluff, M/M, Sign Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-23
Updated: 2014-10-20
Packaged: 2018-02-18 14:00:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 46,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2350940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelseafrew/pseuds/Chelsea%20Frew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis Tomlinson is 1/3 of a world-famous boy band. Harry Styles is a deaf university student. When they meet each other at a book signing, they experience an instant connection. They soon discover, however, that bridging the divide of their differences is easier said than done.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am so excited to share my new story with you! This story is the product of an idea I've been playing with for years, but never really had the right fandom in which to play with it--until now. It was the story of my summer.
> 
> This story clocks in at ~46,400, and I am dividing it into 10 chapters, with a plan to post a new part every 3 days (give or take). Each chapter will be about 3,000-6,000 words (give or take). (The explicit part begins in chapter 5, but I went ahead and put the rating on there now to save myself time.)
> 
> My great thanks to my BFF and co-1D-loving buddy Cori, who not only listened to me ramble incessantly about this story, but then beta read it anyway. Any errors left are all mine.
> 
> Title taken from lyrics in Chicago's "Will You Still Love Me?", one of my all-time favourite songs ever.
> 
> Please don't hesitate to share your thoughts. I look forward to your feedback!
> 
> And now...on to the story!

Book signings were one of Louis' favourite things. They gave him a real chance for some one-on-one time with the fans and an opportunity to thank them for getting him and his bandmates where they were.

This particular book signing was at the Waterstones near Trafalgar Square. Nice and close to home, so he wasn't already worn out from travel when they sat down at the table set up in the lower level.

Piles of their latest book, _On the Way Up_ , sat down at Liam's end of the table, and each of them had several Sharpies in front of them, ready for autographing. Security was stationed around the room and at each end of the table, and their management rep for the day--Jasmine--was talking over last minute details with the store manager.

Finally, Jasmine came over to ask the boys if they were ready for them to start letting the fans in. After exchanging looks with the others, Liam told her they were.

The first hour went by quickly, and Louis lost count of how many books he'd signed. The fans--mostly young girls, as usual--were cute, boosting his ego by telling him how much they loved him and the band's music.

There was a little lull for Louis when the girl in front of him moved away and the one talking to Zayn kept talking to Zayn. Louis used the free moment to look around the floor.

The queue of fans who were still waiting was full of giggling teenagers and beleaguered parents. He risked a little wave at some of the girls looking his way, and they let out little squeals and waved back. The band's security detail was milling around, making sure everyone was safe. And in the section of the floor not cordoned off for the band, there were shoppers looking curiously at the spectacle of a famous boy band signing autographs for hordes of teens.

A movement caught his eye just to his left. One of the store employees--denoted by the name tag pinned to his shirt--was carrying out another box of their books to replenish the dwindling pile in front of Liam.

He was just about the cutest thing Louis had ever seen. He was tall, probably close to six feet, and he could not have been older than twenty, maybe twenty-one. He was lanky in his khaki pants and dark blue polo. He had a riot of chocolate brown curls and light-coloured eyes. He happened to look over at Louis while Louis was staring at him, and he smiled, causing dimples to pop in his cheeks, rendering him impossibly cuter.

Louis could stare no more, though, because the girl who had been chatting with Zayn had moved to stand in front of him, and he had to get right back to work.

It was well over an hour before Louis saw the handsome boy again. This time, the store employee was juggling bottles of water. He moved behind the band to place a water bottle first beside Liam, then beside Zayn, and finally in front of Louis himself. When the boy placed the bottle next to Louis' elbow, Louis looked up into his face and smiled his thanks. The boy smiled back, both with his mouth and his twinkling green eyes.

The next time Louis saw the boy was when he was, yet again, carrying a box of books. Louis had a fan in front of him at the time--a sweet little girl who could not have been older than twelve--but he tried nonetheless to meet the boy's gaze. When he succeeded, the boy offered a dimpled grin. Louis felt his heart clench with how attractive this boy was.

He didn't see the boy again for the rest of the signing. When the last fan had left the table, Louis stood and announced that he needed to find the loo. Which he would do. After he found the cute boy.

He didn't have to look far. As he wandered casually around the bottom level of the store--which had been cleared of customers for the length of time it would take to fold up the table they'd used and get the band out safely--he found the boy stocking some shelves with children's books.

Louis squared his shoulders and walked up to the boy. He cleared his throat and said, "Hi there."

The boy didn't look up right away, and Louis shuffled uncomfortably from foot to foot until the boy startled, as if he'd only just noticed Louis there and stopped what he was doing to gaze up at him.

Louis smiled, and the boy hesitantly stood up and appraised Louis warily.

Louis swallowed nervously, but ploughed on, "Thanks for helping out today."

The boy said nothing, but simply continued to eye Louis carefully, a look Louis couldn't quite decipher on his face.

"I'm sure these events aren't employee favourites," Louis persisted in carrying on the conversation, even while it appeared the boy was not remotely interested in contributing to it. "Have you had to work many of them?"

Not only did the boy not reply to the question, but he turned on his heels and bolted, although not before Louis caught a blush of embarrassment colouring the boy's cheeks. Utterly perplexed, Louis murmured, "How rude."

"He's deaf," a voice from behind him piped up, startling him.

Louis turned around to face the owner of the voice. It turned out to be a blonde girl about his own age, perhaps a little younger, whose name tag read "Perrie." Absently, he realised he hadn't focused on the boy's name tag at all during their brief encounter. As the words she'd spoken sunk in, he couldn't quite believe them. "Sorry?"

"Harry, the guy you were just trying to talk to…. He's deaf," she explained, not unkindly.

Louis sighed heavily. "Damn. I'm such an idiot."

Perrie shook her head. "You didn't know. It's not like he wears a sign announcing it."

"Does he read lips?" Louis asked her, inexplicably wanting to know more about this boy…Harry.

Perrie held up her right hand and shook it back and forth in a so-so gesture. "Kind of, sometimes. It can be really hard, especially with new people."

Louis could understand, then, why Harry had seemed to ignore him. He might not have understood a word Louis had said. "You're friends, you and Harry?" Louis inquired. "Not just co-workers?"

Perrie nodded and smiled. "We go to school together. I'm studying to be a sign language interpreter."

"You know sign language, then?"

Perrie nodded again.

"Harry, too?"

"Harry, too," she confirmed.

"Louis!" Liam suddenly came up behind him. "Where have you been? Jasmine says we need to leave. Radio interview."

Louis expelled an exasperated breath. "Okay," he told Liam. To Perrie, he said, "Please tell Harry I'm sorry for…for not making myself understood."

Perrie smiled and nodded one more time. "I will. Louis, right?"

It was his turn to nod. "Tomlinson." He held his hand out for her to shake, which she did. "It's good to meet you."

"You, too."

"C'mon, Tommo," Liam urged. "Time to go."  


With great reluctance, Louis turned away from Perrie to follow Liam back to where Zayn waited with Jasmine so they could all leave together. Security guided them through a back storage area and up some stairs to their car, which waited for them in an alley.

There was not nearly enough time on the ride from Waterstones to the radio station for Louis to think properly about Harry. And there was nothing on Earth he wanted to do more than think properly about Harry.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Louis had tried out for _The X-Factor_ when he was just eighteen years old. He had not made it through boot camp on his own, but was given the opportunity to join forces with two other lads--Zayn Malik and Liam Payne--to make a boy band and go to Judges' Houses.

Thus, Up All Night was born. The three boys made it through Judges' Houses and on to the live shows, where they became wildly popular, though they only finished in third place. Simon Cowell had signed them anyhow, and now, nearly four years later, they were the biggest boy band in the world.

They had recorded three albums, completed two world tours--and would soon be starting another--had books written about them, and were some of the most sought-after young men on Earth.

They had less than two months before they would be leaving on their third world tour. Time enough to put out a book and a new single. Their days were filled with interviews, fan events, and photo shoots. They barely had time to themselves in these weeks preceding their departure.

Despite his busy schedule, Louis spent every spare moment he had following the Waterstones book signing doing research. He Googled sign language and deaf people, trying to learn as much as he could about Harry, the boy from the bookstore. He could not get Harry out of his head, and he was determined to go back to Waterstones once he was properly prepared to try to talk to the young man again.

He taught himself how to sign his and Harry's names and some basic phrases--"Hi. How are you? I'm fine." He didn't know what else he might need to know, but hoped that Harry would be willing to give him a chance this time, and they'd figure out the rest as they went.

It had been six days since the book signing when Up All Night had a meeting with their management about their tour. While they waited in the conference room for their team to convene--the band had arrived early for once--Louis was practicing the signs he'd taught himself through the judicious use of YouTube in his head.

"What're you up to there, Tommo?" Liam wondered aloud.

That was when Louis realised he hadn't just been signing in his head. "Um, nothing," he tried to answer.

"No, it's not," Liam countered. "What was that? Was that sign language?"

Louis sighed with resignation and nodded.

"You’re teaching yourself sign language?" Liam asked with genuine interest.

"Kind of," Louis admitted.

"That's so cool," Liam commented with enthusiasm. "Why?"

Louis briefly debated with himself about whether or not he should lie, but then decided he didn't want to lie. "There's this guy," he said slowly.

"A guy?" Zayn joined the conversation, clearly interested in this new development. "What guy?"

"I saw him at the book signing last week, at Waterstones," Louis explained.

"He's a fan?" Liam questioned, surprised. It wasn't that any of them wouldn't date a fan, it was just that they rarely did.

Louis shook his head. "No. He works there. We had…I don't know…a moment. He was…is…gorgeous."

"And you found out he's into sign language?" Zayn inquired.

"Um, no," Louis answered slowly. "I found out he's deaf."

Liam and Zayn both looked at him with bugged out eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," Louis requested defensively.

"Sorry, Louis," Zayn was quick to apologise. "I think we're just surprised."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Liam spoke carefully, trying, Louis knew, to be helpful.

"I don't know," Louis responded honestly. "But I want to try."

They didn't have any time left to discuss whether or not Louis should be making any moves on the boy from the bookstore because their team arrived, and it was time to go over the parameters of their upcoming tour. Louis was sure, however, that this was not the last he would be hearing on the topic of Harry from his bandmates.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

They had the next day off, and Louis decided it was time to make his move. He reasoned that since Harry had been at work the previous Tuesday, the day of the book signing at his store, there was a better-than-decent chance that he was working again this Tuesday.

Louis spent all morning practicing the sign language he'd taught himself, double-checking that it was correct. Then he dressed in tight blue jeans and a blue sweater he hoped complemented his eyes. He threw on a beanie and some aviators before heading out to his car.

He drove himself into the city and, as usual, it was a total rush to do so. He didn't often get to drive on his own--management usually arranged cars and limos to take them from place to place as it ensured they'd get there safely and on time. He found a car park not far from Trafalgar Square, and he walked without notice past the monument and up to the store. When he wasn't surrounded by his two bandmates and an entourage of security, he was usually able to walk around unnoticed--especially if he employed the judicious use of a some kind of hat and a pair of sunglasses.

Louis hauled in a deep breath, exhaled it slowly, then entered the store.

As casually as he could, he wandered around the ground floor, but there was no sign of Harry. He headed down the stairs to the lower level, where they had held the book signing. Louis wandered around slowly, eyes peeled for the boy with the beautiful brown curls, amazing green eyes, and adorable dimples.

In a back corner, in an alcove with floor to ceiling shelves, he found the object of his search stocking the shelves with what appeared to again be children's books.

Louis pulled in another steadying breath and took off his shades--hooking them on his collar so his hands would be free--then went for broke, tapping Harry on the shoulder.

Harry looked up and over his shoulder to see who was trying to gain his attention. When he saw it was Louis, his face registered surprise before he stood to offer Louis a hesitant smile.

Louis smiled back, then steeled himself to try out the signs he'd taught himself, speaking as he did so. _"Hi, Harry. Remember me? I'm Louis."_

Harry's features shifted into a look of disbelief. In signs Louis recognised, Harry asked, _You sign?_

 _"I taught myself just a little,"_ Louis replied.

 _Why?_ Harry wanted to know, again thankfully using a sign Louis knew.

So far the conversation was going just about how Louis had guessed it would, and he had the signs to explain, _"To talk to you."_

 _Why?_ Harry repeated himself, a completely perplexed look on his face.

Louis had anticipated this question, too, and he had decided to give the direct answer. _"I thought you were cute."_

A blush coloured Harry's cheeks a deep pink as he made another inquiry.

Louis didn't get all of Harry's signs, but he got "know," "I," and "deaf" and figured he had the gist of it. He spelled out _P-E-R-R-I-E_.

Harry rolled his eyes as if he should have known, then he nodded.

 _"I hoped I could talk you into going out for coffee or tea with me."_ Louis used the last of the signs he knew to share his wish.

Harry signed something Louis didn't understand, and Louis shook his head to indicate he hadn't gotten it. Harry held up a finger and withdrew his mobile phone from his back pocket, calling up a screen and typing something. Finally, he handed Louis the phone. The text on the notepad read, **Why are you asking me out?**

Louis typed back, **Because when you smiled at me a week ago, I decided that you were someone I wanted to know.** He handed the phone back to Harry and waited anxiously.

Harry sighed as he read Louis' words. He paused for a moment, then typed before passing the mobile to Louis again. **I'm not sure that's a great idea.**

Louis knew he had to choose his next words very carefully. He took a few seconds to construct the best counterattack he could come up with in his head, then he typed it. **Why not? Are you prejudiced against hearing people? That isn't very nice. It isn't my fault I can hear.**

When Harry read what Louis wrote, he grinned widely, causing his dimples to appear in full force. He poked at the keyboard before giving the phone to Louis yet again. **Okay. I'm still not sure it's the best idea, but I'll have coffee with you anyway. I get off at five. I should be ready by around five-ten or so.**

Louis mimed a cheer, which made Harry's smile grow a little bit bigger. On the phone, Louis typed, **I'll be back then.**

After he took the mobile and read the last message, Harry nodded, then pointed to the books on the nearby hand truck he had yet to shelve.

Louis returned the nod, understanding that Harry needed to get back to work. He waved goodbye, and Harry did the same. When Harry turned to start shelving books once more, Louis headed toward the stairs and the ground level. He checked his watch as he climbed the stairs. He had three hours to kill.

He decided to spend them in the closest library Google could find for him. He pulled a sign language dictionary from the language section on the second floor, sat as inauspiciously as he could in a corner carrel, and set a vibrating alarm for 4:45. There were more signs to learn.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Harry tried really hard to focus on work, but it was incredibly difficult when he'd just gotten asked out on a date by Louis Tomlinson, one-third of the hottest boy band in the world. Even if he wasn't a fan himself, he knew this was a big deal.

First he kept shelving the wrong books in the wrong place, making that task take twice as long as it should have, then his manager put him in charge of changing out some of the out-of-date magazines, and a sizeable portion of them had Louis' face on the cover. Not great for trying to keep his mind off the impending outing.

He didn't quite know what had possessed him to say he'd go out with Louis. They had virtually nothing in common. Louis was famous, Harry was just ordinary. Louis was bold, Harry liked to observe before acting. Louis had oodles of money, Harry was lucky if he had enough to cover his part of the rent. Louis was a singer, Harry was deaf.

The litany of reasons why he should not have said he'd go ran through his mind continuously for the entire rest of his shift, which seemed both interminable and way too fast all at the same time.

When his shift finally ended, he retired to the break room to catch up with Perrie before heading up to the store's entry to wait for Louis.

Perrie showed up to the break room just a minute after Harry did. Harry looked up at her balefully from his seat on the couch, and Perrie immediately sat down next to him to ask, _What's up? Are you unwell?_

Harry shook his head. _No._ He paused briefly before going on, _I have news._

_What news?_

Harry put off for just a second the moment where he had to tell Perrie the details by offering a challenge. _Guess who came to the store this afternoon._

Perrie shook her head. _Who?_

Pulling in a deep breath, Harry revealed, _Louis Tomlinson._

Perrie's eyes opened comically wide. _Up All Night Louis Tomlinson?_

Harry nodded.

 _How did I miss that?_ she contemplated.

Harry rolled his eyes. _Not the point._

Perrie rolled her eyes back at him. _Well, what is the point? Why was he here? Did he leave something behind after the book signing?_

 _No._ He could not keep a sheepish look off his face.

Perrie's eyes lit up with realisation. _He was asking about you last week. He came back for you._

Pursing his lips, Harry nodded. _He asked me out._

Perrie's eyes grew wide again. _He did? That's…interesting._

 _What's that supposed to mean?_ Harry inquired haughtily.

_I just can't imagine that you two have enough in common to go on a whole date._

Harry fixed her with a withering look. _Thanks for the vote of confidence._

 _I'm sorry._ Perrie apologised before returning to the topic at hand. _When are you going out?_

Harry gazed down at his watch. _Now. In fact, I should get upstairs; he'll be here any minute._ He rose off the couch.

Mirroring his action, Perrie stood up, too. _I'm off, too. I'll come up to wait with you._

The two friends headed out of the break room, up the stairs, and out the store's entrance, taking up a position just outside the door.

 _Do you want me to come with you?_ Perrie wondered as they waited for Louis to get there.

Harry scrunched up his face in distaste. _On my date?_

Perrie nodded enthusiastically. _I can be your interpreter._

_No. You are not coming on my date with me. That would be…weird._

_It's not weird to need an interpreter_ , Perrie scoffed. _I do that for you all the time._

 _Yeah, with customers,_ Harry countered. _This is not like that._

 _It is your first time going out with a hearing boy,_ she pointed out.

It was maddening that she knew him well enough to correctly make that assertion.

When he didn't argue with her, she went on, _How are you going to talk with him?_

 _He learned a little sign_ , Harry told her defensively.

_What could he possibly have learned in a week? You'll be through what he knows in about two minutes._

He didn't tell her that he thought they'd already run through all Louis had taught himself. He simply said, _We can use our mobiles. It's fine. I can make myself understood._

_Are you sure? I really don't mind. I'll be subtle._

Harry regarded her sceptically. _Seriously?_

Perrie gazed past him at that moment, then pointed to something behind him. He turned his head to find Louis approaching them, recognisable even in sunglasses and a beanie. Harry smiled at him easily. It was the moment of truth. Either this date would be fabulous or they would go down in flames, and he was more than ready to find out which.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

When Louis returned to the bookstore at the appointed time, he arrived right in the middle of what appeared to be a heated discussion going on between Harry and Perrie right beside the store entry.

Harry wore what Louis read as a determined look, green eyes flashing defensively. The look on Perrie's face was equally determined, as if she were trying desperately to convince Harry of something. They were signing furiously at each other, though Louis' self-directed, Google-based sign language course of one week was not nearly enough for him to catch even a single word.

Perrie caught Louis approaching out of the corner of her eye and stopped signing to point him out to Harry, who swiveled his head to look, a small smile touching his lips when he met Louis' gaze.

Louis cleared his throat nervously as he came to stand right next to the pair of friends. "Hi," he said hesitantly.

Harry waved hello while Perrie returned, "Hi."

"I don't think we've been properly introduced," Louis told her, holding his hand out for her to shake. "I'm Louis."

She chuckled as she gripped his hand warmly. "I think we covered that the other day. I'm Perrie."

He turned to Harry, then, and very carefully asked, "You ready?"

Harry looked from Louis back to Perrie, signing something Louis, again, didn't understand.

Perrie, however, did him the kindness of sharing what Harry was saying. "I had suggested to him that maybe I should come along to interpret, but he's turned my offer down. Flat."

While on the one hand, it would no doubt ease the communication gap to have an interpreter there, Louis was glad Harry had turned her down. This was going to be awkward enough without a third person on their coffee date.

Harry waved Perrie goodbye and subtly shifted himself so he was at Louis' side. He pointed down the street, and Louis took that to mean Harry already had a place in mind, so Louis nodded, waved a farewell of his own to Perrie, and followed where Harry led.

The walk was silent, but that was all right. With the bookstore so close to such an iconic monument, there were plenty of people around for Louis to watch as they made their way to whatever destination Harry had in mind. Harry walked with purpose, and Louis met him step for step, and in no time, they stood in front of a coffee shop that was not, surprisingly, a Starbucks, but rather a small place called, simply, Tea and Coffee.

Harry opened the door for Louis, a gesture which made Louis smile. It was a cosy little shop, the floor scattered with small tables and comfy chairs. The store smelled delicious, of sweet tea, bitter coffee, and warm cakes. There were plenty of tables available, the five o'clock hour situated perfectly between the hour when people were heading home and people were getting off work.

After Louis removed his aviators--tucking them into his shirt collar once again--he took a quick look around, then met Harry's gaze. Harry lifted his eyebrows in question and signed, slowly, _Okay?_

Louis smiled and nodded, then followed Harry to the counter, studying the menu on the wall while he walked.

The barista at the register greeted Harry warmly and by name, and she asked him, "Your usual?"

Harry nodded and then pointed between himself and Louis to indicate that their orders went together.

"What can I get you, friend of Harry's?" the barista asked brightly. She was side-eyeing him just enough that he thought she might recognise him, but she remained professional and said nothing to let on whether or not she did.

"A large Yorkshire tea, please," Louis requested, pulling his wallet from his back pocket.

"Of course."

Louis was just about to hand over his debit card when Harry beat him to paying, passing cash to the barista. When Louis opened his mouth to protest, Harry put his finger over his mouth to quiet Louis. Louis smiled and offered, _"Thank you,"_ a sign he'd taught himself just that afternoon.

Harry led the way to the end of the counter where they would fetch their beverages.

While they waited, Louis asked Harry, using gestures to augment his question, "This is your usual coffee place?"

Harry nodded with a smile.

It only took a moment more for the barista making the drinks to serve them, then Harry chose a table in the corner at which they could sit. Louis took a seat directly opposite Harry, placing his tea carefully on the table in front of him and setting his beanie next to it.

They sipped silently at their drinks for a few moments, then Louis pulled out his phone and opened his notepad app, the same one Harry had used on his phone earlier that day. Before handing the phone to Harry, he typed, **I've only been studying sign language for a week, so I’m afraid I'm not very good at holding a conversation using it. Yet.**

Harry smiled as he read what Louis had written, and he typed back underneath, **That's okay. I appreciate the effort. Most hearing people don't bother.** He passed the phone back to Louis and took his tea back in hand.

Louis typed, quickly, **Perrie did.**

Harry nodded after reading Louis' comment. **Her family is deaf. Her parents and her brother. Sign language was her first language.**

 **Oh, that makes sense. She seems nice. It was sweet she wanted to come help** , Louis told him.

 **She wanted to come so she could tell me later what a bad idea this is** , Harry countered, handing the phone off with a smirk.

Part of Louis wanted to pursue the topic of why Perrie and Harry both thought that he and Harry going on a date was such a bad idea. But another part of Louis didn't want to face that just yet. That was the part that won, and so, instead, Louis inquired, **So what are you studying at school? Perrie said you and she were in school together.**

**I want to be a physiotherapist, so it's a lot of anatomy and physiology. Perrie's studying to be an interpreter. We both go to the University of Westminster.**

**So you don't want to be stocking books the rest of your life?** Louis gave Harry a grin when he passed back the mobile this time.

Harry grinned back and shook his head. **It's a great part-time job, though.**

**Are you from here? London, I mean.**

Harry shook his head again as he read. **No. I'm from Cheshire. A small town called Holmes Chapel.**

Louis commented happily, **A northern boy. Me, too. I'm from Doncaster.** It was nice to have something in common.

Harry smiled in acknowledgment of Louis' statement, but he had nothing to say about it.

That was okay, because Louis had plenty more to ask, and he tugged the phone away from Harry to do just that. **Is your family deaf, too? Like Perrie's?**

It took Harry a moment to type out his response. **Some of them. My dad and grandparents on his side are all deaf. My mum and sister aren't. Everyone signs, though, even my stepfather.**

 **That's cool. Is your sister older or younger?** Louis wanted to know.

**Three years older. She lives here in London, too. She just finished with school and is working at her first job.**

**I have five sisters and one brother, all younger** , Louis revealed, sipping at his tea after giving up the mobile.

 **Six brothers and sisters? That's so many!** Harry exclaimed, raising his eyebrows in horror.

Louis nodded. **It's a little crazy at home, but I love them all, even though I don't get to see them as often as I'd like.**

 **You live here in London, then?** Harry asked with interest.

Louis nodded again. **For almost four years now.**

 **You like it?** Harry inquired. After he handed the phone back, he sipped at his own drink.

**I do. There's always something interesting to do. Doncaster can be pretty boring. Do you like London? It's pretty different from Cheshire.**

Harry pursed his lips in a most adorable fashion as he considered Louis' question. **It is. I like it, but it took a lot of getting used to. So many people.**

**Do you live in campus housing?**

Shaking his head, Harry elaborated, **I share a flat with my best mate.**

 **That must be fun** _,_ Louis observed. **The only time I've had a roommate was in the _X-Factor_ house.**

Harry raised his eyebrows quizzically, then shook his head minutely, clearly not getting Louis' reference.

Louis still had the mobile, so he asked, **Have you ever seen _The X-Factor_?**

Harry shook his head. **I know what it is, but I've never seen it.**

**Well, we shared a room in the contestants' house, my bandmates and I.**

**Three guys in one room? Must have been messy.**

Louis nodded vigorously. He did not add that he'd been the worst of the lot. **Now I have my own place.**

**But you travel a lot? For work?**

Louis nodded yet again.

**Do you like traveling?**

With one more nod, Louis said, **It can be tiring, and I don't always get to see much of the places I'm going, but I love performing, so that part's great.**

 **You must really like singing a lot, to put up with the rest** _,_ Harry presumed.

 **I do** , Louis answered simply.

 **What's the best place you've been?** Harry wondered.

Louis sipped at his tea and contemplated Harry's inquiry. After some thought, he replied, **We've been a lot of interesting places, but I guess if I had to pick just one, I'd say New York City.**

 **I've never been** , Harry said, pouting just a little.

**You should go. It's amazing.**

Harry smiled and nodded his agreement, draining the last of his drink.

When Louis realised that Harry was done, he worried that the other boy would want to go. He thought quickly about what might keep Harry there. It didn't take long before he had an idea. He took the phone from Harry to write, **I've been studying sign language on the computer and from books. I'll bet it would be more fun to learn from you. Teach me some?** When he handed the mobile to Harry, he smiled hopefully.

**Sure. Where do you want to start?**

Feeling sure he could make himself understood, Louis pocketed his phone and made sure to follow the suggestions he'd read online about how best to speak to someone who was lip reading: speak clearly, but not slowly, be sure to enunciate. "How about my band's name? Up All Night?"

 _Okay_ , Harry again used a sign Louis already knew. Then he walked Louis through each sign in his band's moniker, mouthing the word before showing Louis how to say it with his hands. When Louis had all three words, Harry motioned to him to put them all together. When Louis did--and correctly--Harry grinned and held his hands up and shook them. Louis read that as a small celebration of Louis' success.

Harry raised his eyebrows then and held his hands palms up, clearly indicating that he wanted to know what Louis wished to learn next. Louis pondered about it for a moment, then shrugged, not coming up with an idea.

Harry furrowed his brow for just a moment, then slowly used the sign language alphabet to spell out _S-O-N-G_.

Louis brightened at the suggestion, but wondered aloud, "Which song?"

Harry pointed at Louis, and Louis got it. He pointed to himself and confirmed, "One of my songs?"

Harry nodded.

"Hm. Our biggest song is 'What Makes You Beautiful,'" Louis told him.

Harry shook his head to indicate he hadn't quite gotten it, so Louis quickly retrieved his phone from his pocket and typed the title into the notepad.

Harry smiled and gestured that Louis should put away his mobile--which Louis did. Then Harry set about teaching him how to sign the title of their first and biggest hit.

So engrossed was Louis in what he and Harry were doing that he didn't notice a fan approaching until she was standing right there, clearing her throat nervously. Louis looked up at her, Harry's gaze tracking Louis'.

"You're Louis Tomlinson, aren't you?" she checked, although it was obvious she knew exactly who he was. She was young, but not very young, maybe fifteen. She had long blonde hair and a look on her face like she'd just won the lottery. Louis smiled at her, and she beamed right back.

"Hi, love. What's your name, then?" Louis asked kindly, even if inwardly he was raging that she'd interrupted them. Their fans had done everything for them, though, and he had long ago made it a personal policy not to brush off a fan if he could help it.

"Emily," she replied. "I really, really love your music. You guys are the best."

"Aw, thanks. You're the reason we make the music, so I'm glad you like it," he said sincerely.

Young Emily looked from Louis to Harry, then back before innocently inquiring, "Is he deaf?"

Louis glanced at Harry to see if he seemed to be catching any of this. The look on his face was unreadable, though, so it was hard to tell. Though he was wildly uncomfortable with her question, he went ahead and answered it. "Yes, he is."

"I thought so, since you guys were using sign language," she said, clearly pleased with herself. "Is he giving you lessons?"

"He is, I guess, more or less," Louis told her, willing her to change the subject or--even better--go away.

Emily did not get the memo and went on to remark, "It's sad, though, isn't it? He can't hear your songs. I can't even imagine. It must be horrible to not have music."

Louis didn't even know how to respond to that. He looked over at Harry, who was looking from Louis to Emily, then back. The look on his face now was not so much unreadable as it was stormy. That could not be good.

When Louis didn't say anything, she said, "I think it's really sweet you're letting him teach you to use sign language."

Louis got no real warning. He knew Harry was not happy with the conversation going on around him; he did not expect Harry to just get up from his seat to push past Emily and out the door of the coffee shop.

Emily was in the midst of saying something, but Louis paid her no mind. He simply got up from his own seat, grabbed his beanie, and sidled as politely as he could past the young fan to race out of the coffee shop after Harry.

Harry hadn't made it too far, but his legs were longer than Louis', and Louis was panting by the time he caught up, grabbing at Harry's bicep to stop his forward motion.

When Harry turned to look at him, it was with pain in his eyes. Louis wished he knew which part of the fan encounter had hurt Harry the most so he could address it, make it better. All he could do was say, "I'm so sorry. She didn't mean anything."

Harry just stared at him unnervingly. He tried to pull his arm from Louis' grasp, but Louis held on fast.

"Please come back with me," Louis begged. "We were having such a good time."

Harry shook his head and again tried to free his arm.

Louis kept holding on tight as he pleaded one more time, "Stay."

As Harry finally yanked his arm from Louis' hand, he uttered the first word Louis had heard him say aloud, a ferocious "No!"

So stunned was Louis that Harry had actually spoken that it gave the other boy the opportunity to dart away into the nearby Tube station, the rush hour crowd swallowing him up. Louis didn't try to give chase this time.

Louis was left alone to wonder what he could have done differently and if he would be lucky enough to get a second chance. It was all he found he wanted.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys consult with friends and family to decide what to do now....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am absolutely floored by the reception this has gotten so far! Thank you so much for the kudos, comments, and hits! I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Next update: Monday (9/29).

Harry slammed the door hard as he entered the flat. Niall was on the couch, working on his laptop, but he looked up when the vibration from the door reached his feet.

Niall stopped what he was doing to appraise Harry. _What's up? You're late._

Harry threw himself down on the other side of the couch and faced Niall, sighing heavily. _I had a date,_ he explained.

Niall raised his eyebrows lasciviously. _A date? With who?_

_Louis Tomlinson._

Niall scrunched up his eyes, clearly thinking hard. _I know that name. Why do I know that name?_

 _He's one of the members of that boy band. Up All Night_. A flash of memory of him teaching Louis to sign those very words not an hour earlier ran through his mind and sent a jolt of pain right to his heart.

 _Fancy! A hearing boy! A famous hearing boy, no less,_ Niall teased. _How'd you score him?_

_We met at the bookstore last week when he was there to do a book signing. He came back today and asked me out for coffee._

_I am guessing from the look on your face that it did not go well,_ Niall surmised.

_Well, it started out okay, but then I came to my senses._

Niall shook his head, not quite getting it.

 _I figured out that he only asked me out because he felt sorry for me,_ Harry told him, the realisation still stinging.

_Are you sure?_

Harry nodded. _He talked with a fan about how sad it was that I couldn't hear their songs._

 _That's bollocks! I'll bet their music is shit anyway._ It was reassuring to have Niall take his part in this, though he had never thought he wouldn't.

_They both looked at me with so much pity. She didn't know me, so that was okay, but I hadn't thought he felt that way after he went to all the trouble of asking me out. Guess I was wrong._

_He should definitely have known better,_ Niall agreed. _So this girl, she just interrupted your date?_

 _Yes.That was so weird. The whole fan thing_ , Harry went on to vent.

 _Well, he is in a famous boy band. He's bound to have fans_ , Niall pointed out sagely.

Harry shook his head and shuddered to display his horror. _Even if he didn't feel sorry for me, it would never work. Even if I wasn't deaf and him hearing, he's world famous, and I work at a bookstore._

_How did you leave it at the end of the date? Is he likely to come around again?_

Embarrassed, Harry admitted, _I didn't wait for the date to end. I just left._

_You just left? In the middle of the date?_

Harry nodded sheepishly.

It was Niall's turn to shake his head. _That's cold, man._

_I couldn't stand his pity. His or his fan's. So I left while he was still talking to her._

_Well, then, you're probably right,_ Niall allowed. _I suspect he won't try again. Not if you ditched him mid-date. You okay with him not coming back?_

Harry shrugged. _I guess. I mean, he was really nice. I liked him. But there's no point. It's better this way._

Niall offered Harry a supportive smile and leaned over to hug him. _Dating hearing people isn't worth it. We'll find you a cute deaf guy yet._

Harry smiled at Niall's boundless optimism.

Niall asked, _So, have you had dinner?_

_Then let's go down the pub for some comfort food. My treat._

Harry smiled softly. _Okay. I'm in._

As he and Niall locked up the flat and headed down the street to their favourite local pub, Harry thanked God for Niall. He didn't know what he'd do without him.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Despite his best intentions, Harry could not stop thinking about Louis. He tried over and over to remind himself that Louis only felt sorry for him, but then his traitorous mind would bring forth one of the smiles Louis had graced him with or an image of Louis signing to him. He'd never met anyone who had done that before--learned to sign just to be able to speak to him.

Nevertheless, Harry was determined to put Louis behind him. To that end, he corralled Perrie in the break room the next time they had a shift together, two days after his aborted date with Louis. He gave her an encapsulated version of what had happened between him and Louis.

 _If he comes back to the store, you need to tell him that I don't want to see him again,_ Harry told her.

Perrie sighed. _I knew that you going out with him was a bad idea._

_So you'll steer him away?_

Perrie nodded. _I'll tell him whatever you want me to._

 _Just tell him it would never work_ , Harry advised, adding, _Don't be mean to him, though. He was trying to be nice._

 _I won't be mean to him_ , Perrie promised.

Perrie stared him down, clearly trying to suss out where he stood. _You okay?_

Harry took a moment, but finally, he nodded. _I'm fine. I don't know what I was expecting._

_He just doesn't get it, right?_

Harry sighed and shrugged. _I don't know why I thought he might. He's a famous boy band singer._

 _You're better off_ , Perrie assured him. _No matter how nice he is, you really just don't have a lot in common._

Harry nodded agreeably, though another image came to his mind unbidden--Louis' face as they traded the mobile and information back and forth. Louis had seemed genuinely interested in what Harry had to say, in who Harry was. Harry wondered whether it was possible to have that much interest in something you felt sorry for.

He steeled himself, reminding himself once again that it would never ever work between him and Louis. One of these times, he would start to believe it.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Louis couldn't stop thinking about Harry. He was busy, to be sure. Up All Night was promoting their book, prepping for a new video, and filming promos for their upcoming tour. However, there was time enough between all those events for Louis to relive his date with Harry over and over, both the part where he had thought they were getting along and the part where Harry had run away from him. Again.

He could not for the life of him figure out what had happened. One minute Harry had been teaching Louis to sign, the next he had left the coffee shop so fast Louis had had trouble catching up. He had no doubt the fan interruption was the turning point, but he didn't know if she had said something that had bothered Harry, if Louis himself had said something that bothered Harry, or if it was the very fan encounter itself which had been the problem.

Every spare minute he had, he was mulling it over in his mind, trying to sort out all the possibilities there were for what had gone down. He considered every one of his options, trying to decide if there was any way he'd be able to get Harry back.

Louis didn't have Harry's phone number, so that was out, and he had no idea where he lived, so he couldn't go talk to him at his flat. He knew where Harry went to school, but no way of knowing when or where his classes were, so trying to track him down after a lecture was a lost cause. He finally decided he had no choice but to go back to the bookstore. He needed to find out what had gone wrong and see if there was any hope of fixing it.

He had a half-day off on the Monday following the disastrous coffee shop date. In the morning he had a few interviews, but then by lunch time, management cut him loose. He skipped an offer of lunch with Zayn and Liam to hop in a cab to Trafalgar Square.

Just as he had done last time, he pulled on a beanie he had been carrying in his back pocket and slipped on some sunglasses to minimise the chances of a fan recognising him. Since he'd found Harry on the basement level both of the times he'd seen him there, he headed directly there this time.

Unfortunately, Harry was nowhere to be found on the bottom floor. Louis tried the other two floors with the same sad result. He returned to the basement level one last time, just in case Harry had been in the back when Louis was there the first time.

He didn't find Harry, but he did find Perrie stocking the shelves with new books in the Juvenile section. It was the next best thing, he supposed.

He walked up behind her and cleared his throat. "Excuse me."

Perrie turned and started to say, "Can I help…?" Her words trailed off as he took off his aviators. "Louis. Hi."

"Hi, Perrie," he greeted her. "Is Harry working today? I was looking for him."

She shook her head. "No, he's off today."

Louis frowned, then sighed. "Well, do you have a moment?"

Perrie checked her watch before nodding.

"Is there somewhere we can chat in private?" he wondered aloud.

"Sure. Follow me."

Perrie proceeded to lead him through a door which led to the stockroom and then out another door which led into an alley outside. She placed a brick in the doorway to prop the door open. She walked a few metres down the alley before stopping and swiveling on her heel to face Louis. "This work?" she asked.

Louis nodded. "I don't know where to start."

"He says he doesn't want to see you again," Perrie cut to the chase--and it was just what Louis had feared.

Louis wiped a hand over his mouth. "I was worried that's what you were going to say."

"Why did you come back? From what Harry said, your date didn't go that well," Perrie told him.

Louis sighed again. "It started out great. I really liked him, and I kinda thought he liked me. We did the whole small talk thing using my mobile. Then he started to teach me some more signs. It was really, really good until the fan came. Then it all kind of fell apart."

"Yeah, he gave me the really abbreviated version of what happened."

"That's just it, though," Louis said miserably, "I don't know what happened. One second it was going so well, the next he was walking out the door."

It was Perrie's turn to sigh. "I think what happened was that Harry realised the two of you don't…fit."

Louis shook his head. "How do you mean?"

Perrie paused for a moment to, presumably, find the right words, then attempted to explain herself. "I'm not sure if it's my place to tell you so, but Harry hasn't ever dated anyone hearing before."

"Okay," Louis said carefully.

She pulled in a deep breath before forging on. "It isn't just that. That you're hearing. Although that does introduce all the communication and cultural issues, but it's more than that."

"More?" he urged her to elaborate.

"You're famous. And not just a little famous, but, like, worldwide famous. Dealing with the hearing/deaf thing can be tricky, but the fame thing…that's a lot. You're a lot, all at once," Perrie concluded.

Louis frowned. "I see what you're saying. I do. Does it even matter that I like him, then?"

Perrie sighed. "I don't know. He told me if you ever showed up here again, I was to tell you he doesn't want to see you again. I think it was just too much for him."

"So, that's it?" Louis said, sorely disappointed. "I'm just supposed to give up?"

"It would be really hard, Louis, to deal with all that he is and all that you are in one relationship," Perrie stated, though she appeared sad to do so. "Maybe it's for the best."

"I can't stop thinking about him," Louis lamented.

"I'm sorry." It was clear she meant it.

"Thanks for being honest with me."

Perrie reached over and squeezed his forearm sympathetically. "You gonna be okay?"

Louis shrugged. He genuinely didn't know. "Eventually, I guess."

"I should get back in before my boss comes to look for me."

He nodded. "Go on. Thanks again."

She returned his nod, then strode away from him down the alley and through the door back into the store.

Louis sighed heavily once he was all alone. This afternoon had not gone remotely as planned. Even worse, he had no idea what to do now beyond head home, fix himself a strong cup of tea (maybe adding a little whiskey to it), and feel sorry for himself. So that's exactly what he did.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Perrie's first text had come just as he was settling into his seat for his Monday afternoon lecture. **Louis came to the store.**

Harry gasped. When he had told Perrie to fend Louis off for him, he hadn't seriously thought Louis would ever come back to the store, not after Harry had ditched him the way he had. **What did you tell him?** he quickly typed before the professor began the day's teaching.

When his lecture was over, he immediately checked his phone for Perrie's response. **I told him exactly what you told me to, that you didn't want to see him again.**

Even though she had done exactly as he'd asked, Harry still felt as if a stone were settling in his stomach. **How did he take it?** he texted back.

It took Perrie a few minutes to reply. He used the time to pack up his things, thank his interpreter, and head back outside. By the time he hit the courtyard, Perrie had answered, **To be honest, not well. He likes you a lot. But I think he accepted your terms. I doubt he'll be back.**

It was the best possible outcome Harry could have hoped for. So why did her words make him feel like shit? Regardless, he sent back, **Thanks.**

He didn't have to go to work, it being his day off, so Harry texted his sister Gemma to see if she was, by any chance, free for dinner. She pretty quickly replied that she was, and they made a plan to meet at six at their favourite pub, one located just about halfway between her flat and his.

Harry used the time until dinner to take his things back home and do a little studying, though it was hard to concentrate when his head was basically all Louis, all the time. He was glad his roommate wasn't at home, though, because Niall would have wanted to celebrate Louis being driven away, and Harry wasn't quite sure anymore that that was something worth celebrating.

At half past five, he gave up "studying" and started making his way to the pub. Gemma was already there when he arrived, nursing a pint at the bar. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek before jumping onto the stool right beside her.

She got the bartender's attention, then asked Harry, _A pint?_

He nodded, and she ordered for him. When the pint was slid in front of him, he quickly lifted the mug up and took a long, refreshing pull from it.

Gemma was grinning at him when he set his glass back down. _Long day?_ she asked.

 _You have no idea._ He sighed and took another sip of beer

She tilted her head toward the side. _Let's go find a table, and you can tell me all about it._

Harry led the way to a corner booth where the siblings settled down with their drinks. They perused the menu and placed their order with the waitress who stopped by before starting any kind of conversation.

 _So, H, long day?_ Gemma prompted.

Harry nodded, then shrugged. _Long week,_ he corrected.

_Tell big sister everything._

Harry had to smile at that. Gemma was the best. She took her job as older sister very seriously, and she never failed to be there for him when he needed her to be. He just needed her to help him figure this out without focusing too much on who they were talking about, since he knew for a fact that she liked Up All Night and was likely to be a little distracted by the idea of who he'd gone out with.

He opened with a succinct statement. _I went on a date last week._

Gemma raised her eyebrows suggestively. _You did? How'd it go? Do I offer congratulations or sympathies?_

 _It started off okay,_ he admitted. _We went to a coffee shop near work._

She nodded, encouraging him to continue, but he didn't quite know how to explain what happened.

His consternation prompted her to back up and ask, _Where did you meet him?_

 _At work. He was there…doing a book signing._ Harry knew he wouldn't get away with being vague for very long, but damned if he wasn't going to try.

He could tell she was instantly intrigued. _A book signing? Is he an author?_

Harry shook his head. _The book was about him…and his band._

 _His band?_ she repeated, clearly surprised by this revelation. _He's hearing? He's a musician?_

He nodded slowly.

 _If there's a book, they must be pretty well-known,_ Gemma surmised. _Who are they?_

Harry was offered a brief reprieve when the waitress chose that moment to bring them their food, but Gemma was on him the minute the waitress left, not even giving him time to take one bite of his fish or his chips. She waved her hand where he could see it to make sure she had his attention. _What band?_ she demanded to know.

He pulled in a deep breath and admitted, _Up All Night_.

Her eyes practically bugged out. _You went for coffee with one of the members of Up All Night?_ Off his sheepish nod, she pressed, _Which one? Was it Louis?_

Harry was slightly taken aback by her assumption, but wrote it off as women's intuition. _Yes. It was Louis._

Gemma smiled widely. _He is very pretty. Very, very pretty._

 _He is,_ Harry agreed, using her moment of salivating over the handsomeness of his date to eat a chip and take another sip of beer.

She took a moment to start in on her dinner, but she didn't wait long before she inquired, _So, you said the date started out okay. It didn't end that way?_

He shook his head regretfully. _No. I kind of walked out on him._

She knitted her eyebrows at his words. _You walked out on him? Why?_

 _Everything went really well at the beginning. He doesn't know much sign, so we used his mobile to talk. We talked about my school, his job, our families. It was pretty easy, which surprised me,_ he explained. _But then a fan came up to talk to him._

 _That's why you walked out?_ Gemma's eyes held no judgment, only concern.

 _They started talking about how sad it was that I can't hear, and I realised that there was no way Louis and I were going to work out. So I left,_ he concluded.

Gemma didn't say anything right away. Instead, she picked up her fork and deliberately began working on her steak and kidney pie. So Harry used the opportunity to dig into his fish and chips.

After they'd each made a sizeable dent in their meals, Gemma posed a question. _Why did you go out with him?_

Harry was surprised by the query and answered, _I don't know. He was cute._ He shrugged.

Gemma shook her head. _I think it was more than that._

He took a moment to ponder exactly what it was that had made him say yes. _He learned how to sign for me. He taught himself enough to ask me out in sign language._

Gemma smiled at that. _That's sweet._

 _It was,_ Harry concurred. _No one's ever done something like that for me before. But…._

_But what?_

_But he feels sorry for me._

_Are you sure?_ Gemma checked. _Was he signing then, when he was talking to the fan?_

_No. He doesn't know nearly that much._

_So you could have misunderstood?_ Gemma intimated gently.

Harry shrugged. _I guess._

Gemma took another couple bites of her food. Harry followed suit.

It was several minutes before Gemma asked, _Did he try to stop you from leaving?_

Harry nodded. _He followed me out of the shop all the way to the Tube. That's where I lost him._

She gazed at him intently, and Harry squirmed under her stare. _What?_ he asked her.

_You've spent the entire week thinking about him._

He was on the verge of protesting when she narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. _Don't even try to deny it. I can tell._

Harry sighed. _I told Perrie that if he came back to the store, she should tell him I don’t want to see him again._

_But you do. You want to see him again._

He shrugged helplessly. _It wouldn't matter if I did. He was there today, and Perrie told him exactly what I told her to._

_Why did you do that?_

_Because it would never work between Louis and me,_ Harry told her sadly. _He's hearing, and I don't need to be seeing someone who feels sorry for me._

Gemma took another bite of her pie, chewing thoughtfully. She put her fork down to inquire, _What bothers you more, that he's hearing or that he might feel sorry for you?_

 _That he might feel sorry for me. I don't need his pity,_ Harry said emphatically.

 _But that might not even have been what was going on,_ Gemma pointed out. _You're not positive, are you?_

Harry shook his head.

_Does it bother you that he's hearing?_

_Not as much as I thought it would,_ Harry replied, chagrined.

Gemma sipped at her soda before carefully asking, _If the fan hadn't come up, and the date had continued on the way it started, would you have wanted to see him again?_

Harry took the time to really think about the question, but eventually, he nodded sheepishly. _I might have. I liked him. But I just really don't see how it could work. We're just too different._

Gemma didn't say anything, but simply dug back into her dinner.

Impatiently, Harry asked her, _So, what do you think I should do?_

She put her fork and knife down to say, _I think you've already made that decision._

Her answer wasn't exactly what he'd wanted to hear, but since she wasn't urging him to rethink keeping Louis away, he was going to go ahead and assume that she agreed with his decision-making.

He picked up a chip as she changed the subject. _So, have you talked to Mum recently?_

Harry tried hard to push all thoughts of Louis away to focus on the new topic at hand, but even as they discussed their mother and her recent trip to Paris, Louis' face still crowded his thoughts, and Harry was worried that wouldn't stop. Or perhaps even worse, that it would.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Louis couldn't believe his eyes. There it was, though, on his Twitter feed, time-stamped Monday night. A tweet from @GemmaAnneStyles: **@Louis_Tomlinson I'm Harry's sister, Gemma. Follow me. Need to speak with you.**

Louis couldn't follow her back fast enough. Once he'd done that, he was able to direct message her. **Hi Gemma. What's up?**

It was a few hours before he got a response. He had just finished up a press interview and was checking his phone, immediately checking specifically for Twitter messages. **Hi Louis. Could we get together somewhere to talk?**

Louis contemplated where the best place would be for them to meet, then he messaged her back. **There's a great pub near where I live where we could talk without being bothered. When did you want to meet up?**

An hour later, she messaged him back. **Your schedule is probably more complicated than mine. I can make myself free just about any evening.**

Louis mentally reviewed his schedule for the rest of the day, and he was pretty sure he had nothing beyond some more press appearances and one photo shoot. Besides, he was curious about what she wanted to talk about, so the sooner the better. He sent, **How about tonight? Say six?**

Her response was quick this time. **Works for me. Send me the address, and I'll see you at six.**

Louis had to look up the actual address on his phone, but he sent it to her just as management alerted him that it was time for them to head to the car and yet another appearance.

The remainder of the work day passed slowly, and Louis was distracted by contemplation of what Harry's sister could have to say.

Finally, the car dropped him back home from an interview with _The Sun_ , and he changed into a pair of khaki pants and a dark blue button up shirt before heading out to The Ship's Anchor.

Louis really liked this particular pub because they had lots of tables hidden away in corners, and all the staff were great at helping Louis keep as invisible as possible when he was there. Also, the pub was just enough out of the way that it was never incredibly crowded.

When he walked through the door, the place was busy, but not insanely so. He was just scanning the room when a female voice coming from the vicinity of the bar called his name. Louis looked over to the bar and found the voice's owner, waving to him from her seat on an end stool.

As Louis walked over to her, he was able to take in long, purple-tinged hair, brown eyes, and a smile just as disarming as Harry's. "Gemma?" he confirmed.

She nodded and hopped off the stool to shake his hand.

"I didn't even think to ask what you looked like," Louis realised belatedly. Not that it mattered.

"But I know what you look like," Gemma countered with a grin.

"Good point," Louis agreed.

"Do you want to get something to drink and then find a table?" Gemma suggested.

Louis nodded. "Sounds good." He turned to the bartender--a nice guy called Kevin--and ordered a pint. Once it was in his hands, Gemma picked up hers and followed Louis to his favourite table, one set in a corner in the way back, right near a fake fireplace. Louis made sure to sit with his back to the rest of the pub to minimise the possibility of being spotted.

He sipped at his drink for just a moment before saying, "I was surprised to hear from you."

Gemma smiled. "I had dinner with Harry last night, and you were the main topic of conversation."

"Oh?" That was unexpected.

"I know he told Perrie to tell you to stay away, but I'm not at all sure that's really what he wants."

"She seemed to think he was pretty certain," Louis told her.

"I don't think he is," Gemma returned. "I think he's trying to protect himself."

"Protect himself?" Louis questioned, wanting more detail.

Gemma paused for a moment, sipping her drink. Then she explained, "You're the first hearing person he's gone out with."

"Perrie mentioned that," Louis said.

"It's been safe for him, going out with someone who's deaf, too," Gemma went on. "There are no communication issues, the people he's with always understand where he's coming from, they have shared experiences, right?"

Louis indicated with a nod that that made sense.

"You're the exact opposite of every person he's ever gone out with. I think that's really scary to him."

"Then I guess that's why he bolted," Louis concluded.

Gemma nodded. After waiting a beat, she said, "I think he really liked you, though. I think a very large part of him regrets telling Perrie to ward you off."

"I liked him a lot, too," Louis admitted.

Gemma grinned. "What's not to love? Harry's amazing."

"So, what can I do?" Louis wanted to know. "I already tried going back to the store to talk to him, and Perrie gave me my walking papers."

"I was thinking that I might be able to talk you into giving me your number to give to Harry," Gemma confessed. "At the moment, I strongly suspect he's using the fact that he doesn't know how to get in touch with you as an excuse to not pursue anything further."

"Sure," Louis agreed readily, reaching his hand out for her mobile. She handed it to him and he entered himself into her contacts. As he handed it back to her, he said, "Can I ask a question? One about Harry?"

"Of course."

"I was just wondering…does he have any hearing at all?"

"A little," Gemma replied. "If he wears his hearing aids, he can distinguish some sounds, but his hearing loss is what's considered severe."

"He was born deaf?"

Gemma nodded. "Yes."

"I figured, since he said your dad and grandparents were deaf, too," Louis said. "One more question?"

"Go for it." She smiled encouragingly.

"Harry kind of yelled at me when I was trying to keep him from running off after our date. It was just one word, but he hadn't used his voice at all before that. Can he?" Louis wanted to know.

Gemma nodded. "He can. His speech is pretty good, considering, but he doesn't really use his voice unless he's really comfortable with someone."

"That makes sense," Louis said.

"He was really touched you learned some sign language," Gemma revealed.

Louis smiled. "It seemed like the right thing to do, you know, learn his language. I especially liked the short lesson I got from him."

"What did he teach you to say?"

"My band's name," Louis told her, and he demonstrated what Harry had shown him.

"Excellent," she praised with a smile. She turned solemn a second later to say, "You know, if I can get him to contact you, things won't be easy. Not only will you have to deal with the hearing/deaf thing, but you are monumentally famous."

Louis sighed. "I know." He regarded her seriously. "Why are you doing this, then, if it's all going to be so difficult?"

Gemma didn't answer instantly. She took a moment to consider her words before saying, "Because I saw his eyes when he was talking about you. You got to him."

"I can't stop thinking about him, either," Louis admitted.

"Well, hopefully I can knock some sense into him, and he'll text you."

"I hope so."

Gemma's eyes twinkled. "Give me your phone."

Louis pulled out his mobile and unlocked it before handing it over. "What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you his number. Give me three days to talk to him, then you go ahead and text him. I still think it's better if he goes first, but this is insurance."

Louis grinned as she handed the phone back to him.

"Louis?" Gemma said in a serious tone.

"What?"

"If he does text you, you have to be patient with him, okay?" Her request carried a weight Louis could feel.

"Of course," he assured her.

"And be persistent," she added. "Don't give up on him."

Louis nodded. "I promise."

Gemma sighed happily. "Good." She stood up, then. "I have to get going. I have a phone number to give out." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, Gemma."

"Don't thank me now," she warned. "I haven't convinced him yet."

"But you will," Louis told her confidently. And he hoped like hell he would be proved right.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Harry stared at the number in his contacts again, though he'd long since memorised it. The digits had danced through his head the entire night, which meant he was a little dizzy from the lack of sleep. He sipped at his tea gratefully, eyes still fixed on the phone number.

It was Wednesday morning. He had a lecture in just over an hour and a shift at Waterstones that afternoon. All he could think about, though, was this number Gemma had given him the night before. Louis Tomlinson's number.

His thumb was hovering over the message button when Niall crashed into their small kitchen and planted himself in the other chair at their small kitchen table. _Good morning, sunshine!_ Niall greeted him, way too awake for Harry on this particular day.

 _Morning,_ Harry returned wearily.

Niall frowned. _Did you sleep?_

Harry shook his head. _Not a lot, no._

 _What is up with you? You've been off all week,_ Niall observed. _Is this about Louis fucking Tomlinson?_

Harry sighed and nodded, touching his nose. _Got it in one._

_You need to forget him._

Harry turned his mobile around so Niall could see.

Niall's eyes grew wide.

 _Gemma got the number for me,_ Harry explained.

 _Why?_ Niall got up to check the kettle. After adding water to it and turning it on, he turned back around to get Harry's response.

_Because she figured out that I can't stop thinking about him._

_What happened to him being an arse who feels sorry for you?_

Harry shrugged. _Maybe I misinterpreted what happened._

_And what if you didn't? It's a bad idea, you and him, H. Let it go._

Harry shrugged again and checked the clock on his mobile. _I need to get ready for my lecture._

Niall nodded and turned his attention to pulling out a mug and a fresh teabag.

As Harry made his way to his room, Niall's words tumbled through his head. _Let it go._ He realised that he couldn't.

Before finding clothes to wear, Harry sat down on his bed and opened his contacts for what felt like the millionth time since Gemma's visit. This time, he hauled in a deep breath and pressed the message button. Slowly, he typed, **Hi Louis. It's Harry. Can we meet sometime? I'd like to explain myself.** After pulling in another deep breath, he hit the send button. Resolutely, then, he put the phone down and found a clean pair of khaki pants and a white button down shirt which would work for both class and his shift.

When he was done brushing his teeth and taming his curls, the little LED light on his phone was letting him know he had an incoming text. He held his breath and unlocked his phone.

**Name the time and the place. I'll be there.**

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second try's the charm?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late posting today. Went to see 1D in Charlotte (awesome!), but car broke down on way home (not so awesome).
> 
> Thanks so, so much for all the support for this story. I am thrilled that you all are enjoying it, and I hope that will continue to be the case....
> 
> Next Update: Thursday, 10/2.
> 
> On to the story....

Harry had asked Louis if he was free the next day. His shift at the bookstore went too late on Wednesday to meet. He didn't want to be exhausted when they got together again. Louis had readily agreed to meet back at the coffee shop where they had gone out before at four the following afternoon.

Harry felt like he was on pins and needles right up until he hopped the Tube to go meet Louis once more. He told Gemma they were getting together, but not Niall or Perrie. He didn't want them to try to sway him, to try to convince him to cancel or, if he wouldn't do that, try to convince him to end things once and for all. And while Gemma would sympathise if things didn’t go well, Niall and Perrie would be full of I told you sos.

That Thursday he had a lecture in the morning, and one in the afternoon. Harry wasn't sure he got a lot out of either of them, so focused was he on what he was going to say to Louis when they met up. Hopefully he hadn't missed anything important.

He arrived at Tea and Coffee just before four, and Louis was already there, lounging near the entrance in sunglasses and a snapback. He was as handsome as anyone Harry had ever seen.

Harry smiled and waved when he spotted him, and Louis waved back, adding a _Hi_ using fingerspelling. It would be a long time before Harry got over Louis learning some sign language just for him.

 _Hi,_ he returned before pointing to the door by way of asking if Louis was ready to go inside.

Louis nodded and rushed to hold the door open for Harry. Harry smiled, signed, _Thank you,_ then moved through the door, Louis directly behind him.

Vanessa was taking orders that day, and she smiled when Harry walked up to the counter. "Your usual?" she asked. Harry indicated that was indeed what he wanted, then gestured to Louis, who ordered a Yorkshire tea again. Just like last time, Harry paid before Louis could even get to his wallet. The meeting was, after all, his idea.

Once they had their drinks, they searched for a table. The one they'd used the week before was already occupied, but they found a vacant table right next to it and sat down.

Harry sipped nervously at his tea for just a moment before drawing out his phone. Louis casually sipped at his own tea while Harry typed in his opening salvo.

 **Thanks for coming, Louis. I wanted to explain why I left last week.** Harry showed his phone to Louis, who nodded encouragingly. So he went on, **I thought that you and your fan were talking about how you both felt sorry for me, and I thought that meant that you had only gone out with me because you felt sorry for me. So I left.** This time he handed the mobile to Louis to read.

Louis put his cup down to type a response. **No, that's not what happened. We were talking about you, and she definitely felt sorry for you, that's true. But not me. That's not why I asked you out.**

When Harry took back the phone and read Louis' words, he just signed, _Why?_ He thought he remembered that being a sign Louis had understood during their first conversation at the store. He mouthed it just to be sure. Louis nodded that he knew what Harry was asking and reached for the phone.

 **It is exactly what I said when I came to the store. I thought you were just about the cutest person I had ever seen, and I wanted to get to know you. I would never have asked you out just because I felt sorry for you. I don't have time for pity dates. I promise.** As Harry had done earlier, he just held the phone up so Harry could see what he'd written so far.

Harry was unimaginably relieved to know that Louis hadn't asked him out because he pitied him; that was Harry's worst fear. After Harry nodded to show he was done, Louis continued typing. **I was really enjoying getting to know you when we came here before. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since.** He handed the phone back to Harry.

Harry's heart skipped a beat at Louis' words as he took another sip of his tea--kind of wishing it had something stronger mixed in with it to give him extra courage. Then he admitted, **Me, neither. I've been thinking about you all week.**

Louis smiled at Harry's admission, and Harry felt a blush creep up his cheeks. **So what now?** Louis asked.

**We try again?**

Louis's smile grew a little wider at Harry's suggestion. **I'd love to, but maybe we should go over all the reasons this would be hard before we commit to another try.**

Harry nodded, but he hesitated to write down just what he was thinking. He was still trying to figure out how to word things when Louis gently pulled the mobile from his grasp.

 **I'll go first. To start, I am away a lot. We tour for the better part of the year, and even when we're not touring, we often have to fly all over the world for appearances.** Louis showed the phone to Harry, who pursed his lips and nodded. Louis went on to say, **I am also, as you know, pretty well-known. While we could keep this on the down low for a little while, if we were to get serious, the media would eventually figure out what was going on.** Louis gave the phone over again.

Harry carefully read Louis' small list of challenges and nodded slowly, acknowledging that he understood where Louis was coming from. The idea of being sucked into a media storm was a terrifying one, but Harry figured that to worry about it now was a little bit like putting the cart before the horse. This may not get that far.

Harry pulled in a deep breath and typed up his own extremely short list. **I can't hear.** He held the phone out for Louis to see.

Louis shook his head and didn't bother to take the phone to say, "It doesn't matter."

Harry smiled, hoping that Louis wouldn't be proved a liar on that one.

Louis smiled back and made a grabbing motion toward the mobile. Harry passed it over and waited, taking a drink from his cooling tea.

When Louis handed the phone back, Harry read, **At least you can't tell me my songs are shit.**

Harry laughed and mouthed, "Not so fast." He signed the words for good measure.

Harry thought Louis looked beyond cute with his forehead all wrinkled, trying to figure out what Harry was saying. Instead of typing it, Harry mouthed it again, signing it slowly at the same time.

He knew the exact moment Louis got it; it was like a light bulb went off over his head, and his grin was broad. A second later, though, his face clouded again. "I don't get it," he said, shaking his head and signing the word "understand."

Harry smiled smugly and explained, **I like music.**

Louis shook his head and asked, "How?"

Harry held up his hand and jiggled it.

There was the light bulb again, as Louis said, "Vibrations."

Harry nodded and smiled, tapping his nose with one finger and pointing at Louis with the other.

Since he continued to have the phone, Harry added, **With my hearing aids in, I can hear a little of the melody, too, though it's hard to pick up on words. For that, there's the internet.** As if to make his point clear, he lifted the curls from over his right ear to show the purple, half-shell hearing aid seated there.

Louis smiled and took the mobile. **That's cool. Have you ever heard any of our songs, then?**

**None that I recall specifically. You'll have to play me some.**

**I'd love to do that,** Louis told him. **If, that is, you agree to go out with me again.**

Harry only hesitated a moment before nodding and signing, _Okay._

Louis fairly beamed. "That's excellent news."

Harry thought of something just then. **Are you out? I mean, does everyone know? Your band? Your fans?** Now he gave it a little more thought, neither Perrie nor Gemma had seemed particularly surprised that Louis had asked him out. Gemma had even assumed it was Louis Harry had gone out with.

Louis nodded at the text before saying, **There was no point in hiding it. I was in a serious relationship at the time we were put in the band, and when we were done with _X-Factor_ and were going to be signed to a contract, we all talked about it, and I told management I wasn't going to hide who I was or my boyfriend.**

 **That's cool. Where's that guy, then?** Harry wondered.

**He cheated on me during our first tour.**

Harry frowned sympathetically. _Sorry._

Louis shrugged. **I don't miss him all that much. He was a dick, as it turned out.**

As Harry was smiling at Louis' pronouncement, he remembered that he had homework he absolutely had to get done that evening, and he told Louis so, but they made a plan to meet on Friday evening at Louis' house. This way they could avoid any potential media involvement and, being the weekend, Harry could relax and not worry quite as much about any school work he had coming due.

Once they had hammered out all the details--including Louis texting Harry with his address--the two boys finished off their teas, and Louis asked if he could walk Harry to the Tube station. Harry agreed readily, not quite ready to say goodbye yet.

They threw their trash away and headed out of the shop and back toward the Tube station where they had parted ways a little less amicably the week before.

When they arrived at the station, they moved out of the way of the rush hour crowd streaming to and from the Tube, finding a wall right next to the entrance to stand by.

"So, tomorrow, my place?" Louis confirmed, placing his hand on his chest when he said "my."

Harry nodded and offered Louis a smile. He was already mentally counting the hours and minutes until their next meeting.

Louis seemed unsure of what to do next. Harry could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he ran through options.

Harry was just about to issue a goodbye when Louis leaned forward and pressed his lips to Harry's. The contact took Harry completely by surprise, and he was only just recovering from the shock when Louis pulled his mouth away, leaving Harry's own tingling.

"Okay?" Louis asked.

Harry nodded and signed, _Okay._

"I drove." Louis held his hands up like he was driving a car, then pointed in the direction of the car park Harry knew was just up the street.

Harry nodded again.

"See you tomorrow?"

Harry signed, _Yes._

Louis leaned forward and kissed Harry's cheek before waving and heading off toward his car.

Harry stood where Louis had left him for a moment, holding a hand to his cheek to try to contain the warmth on the spot where Louis' lips had just been. With what he knew was a ridiculous smile on his face, he turned and headed into the Tube station.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

The next two weeks went by in a blur. Louis' days were filled with meetings, interviews, and more book signings, while his nights belonged to Harry. It was a bit of a brutal schedule, but he wasn't allowed to skip out on any of his band obligations, and he didn't want to miss a single opportunity to continue getting to know Harry.

Up All Night convened at a warehouse just outside the city to begin rehearsals for the tour bright and early on a Monday morning. Louis had been up late the night before watching a movie with Harry. Well, pretending to watch a movie with Harry. There may have been a little more making out than plot following, if he was honest.

He knew he was running a little late--getting up had been hard--but even so, after his car dropped him by the door Louis hustled inside, threw out the empty cup from the tea he'd stopped for, and took the time to grab another mugful before heading over to where Zayn and Liam were huddled with their choreographer and music director.

"Morning," Liam greeted him.

"Morning," Louis murmured, still not quite awake yet.

"You look like shit," Zayn observed.

Louis smirked at him. "Thanks," he returned sarcastically.

"We'll start in ten, guys?" their music director, Jackson, checked.

The three boys nodded, and Louis followed Zayn and Liam back over to where the coffee and tea were.

"So, what'd I miss?" Louis asked.

"We're going to just run through some of the songs today, then worry about choreography tomorrow after Chase has a chance to see what we look like singing the new stuff," Zayn explained. Chase was their longtime choreographer.

"So, why were you late getting here?" Liam wanted to know.

Louis tried to get away with shrugging, but neither Zayn nor Liam seemed inclined to buy that. Zayn shook his head. "We've barely seen you these last couple weeks. You dash in when we have something to do, then rush out as soon as we're done. What's going on? Who is he?"

"Who says there's a he?" Louis deflected one more time, aware that this was likely the very last time he'd be able to do so.

Liam and Zayn both side-eyed him. It was Liam who said, "There's a he."

Louis sighed. He had very deliberately kept quiet about his blossoming relationship with Harry, all the while knowing he would not be able to keep it secret for long. Zayn and Liam were his best mates, and, generally, they didn't keep secrets. He just didn't want them telling him--again--that Harry wasn't a good idea.

"Who is it?" Liam prodded.

Louis cleared his throat and very quietly revealed, "It's the guy from the bookstore."

It took both of the other boys a moment to remember who Louis was talking about. Zayn got it first. "The deaf guy? The one you were learning sign language for?"

Louis nodded. "That's the one. His name's Harry."

"How long as this been going on?" Liam inquired.

"A few weeks."

"The sex must be great," Zayn commented with a smirk.

Louis shook his head. "It's not about sex. We talk. You know…like people in a relationship do."

"You've learned enough sign language to have real conversations with him?" Liam raised his eyebrows dubiously. "In a few weeks? I wouldn't think it would be that easy."

"Well, I'm learning more every day. And there are other ways of communicating anyhow. It is the age of technology," Louis reminded him defensively.

"Can he talk?" Zayn asked curiously.

"Yes, but he prefers not to." Louis had hoped that by this time, Harry would be comfortable enough to start speaking around Louis, but that hadn't happened quite yet.

"Is it serious between the two of you?" Liam questioned.

Louis shrugged, then nodded. "Getting there, yeah. I like him a lot."

"I don't know, man, he just doesn't sound like the kind of guy who's going to fit into your life very well," Zayn commented.

"He'll fit in just fine," Louis countered fiercely. "You guys just need to give him a chance. I think you'll like him. He's sweet and funny; truly a great person."

"But he's deaf. Isn't that really hard to deal with?" Zayn persisted.

"It's different, sure, but it doesn't really matter. It doesn't keep him from being fun to be with," Louis countered.

"Where have you been going with him?" Liam wondered aloud.

"He's mostly been coming over to my place when he doesn't have work or a class," Louis said. "He has a roommate, so it's hard for him to get his flat to himself."

"I'm surprised the paps haven't caught on," Zayn said admiringly.

"We've been pretty careful the few times we've been out in public. You know how easy it can be to go out and not be recognised if we're not all together," Louis pointed out.

Zayn and Liam both nodded. If they were out somewhere all together, it was usually just a matter of minutes before they were converged upon by adoring fans, but alone--with a minimal disguise--they could usually go out without too much bother.

"And no one knows who he is or who he's visiting when he comes to my building," Louis added for good measure.

"How are you going to explain it to the press when they do find out?" Zayn wanted to know. "They will find out, Lou. You know they will."

Louis shrugged again. "I'll tell them I'm dating a really cool guy. They'll just have to deal."

Zayn sighed. "Okay, then. Your funeral."

When Louis glared at Zayn, Liam hastened to ask, "So, when do we get to meet him?"

"I was thinking of inviting him to our final run-through."

"He likes music?" Zayn's face showed genuine surprise.

Louis nodded. "He can feel the vibrations and make out some of the melody. He says he's never heard any of our songs, though--not that he remembers, anyhow--and I thought live might be the best way."

"Okay, then," Liam said. At that exact same moment, Jackson summoned them back to the temporary stage that had been set up for them on one side of the warehouse floor.

As they practised their songs, paying special attention to the new ones they'd never done live before, Louis' mind was never far from Harry and his fervent wish that they could make their relationship work. He hadn't wanted to say so to Zayn and Liam, but he already knew he was in pretty deep.

If he were to lose Harry now, he would be heartbroken beyond words.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Harry's first lecture the Monday Louis began rehearsals was not until eleven, so when he managed to get up around eight-thirty, he went ahead and started to make a fry-up for himself and Niall.

The smells very quickly drew Niall in, though he was clearly groggy as he offered a weak, _Good morning._

_Good morning._

_Is that a fry-up I smell?_ Niall asked. _To what do I owe this glorious treat?_

Harry shrugged. _I couldn't sleep anymore, so I decided to just go ahead and get up and cook._

Niall dropped a teabag in a mug and poured hot water over it before saying, _Well, God bless insomnia._

Niall took a seat at the table, and Harry placed a plate of eggs, sausage, tomatoes, baked beans, and bacon in front of him. Niall took a giant whiff and exhaled, his face displaying pure bliss.

 _Tuck in,_ Harry told him. A moment later, he sat down with his own plate.

The two boys spent the next short while staving off their hunger. When Niall's plate was half empty, he looked over at Harry and commented, _I feel like I'm living with a ghost. You're barely home these days._

Harry felt himself blush at Niall's words. He had been putting off this conversation, hoping to avoid it as long as he possibly could, but apparently the day had come where he could put it off no longer. He sighed.

 _Who is it?_ Niall asked knowingly. When Harry hesitated, Niall's eyes grew wide. _It's Louis Tomlinson, isn't it? You're seeing Louis fucking Tomlinson._

The look on Harry's face must have given him away because Niall's face clouded and he shook his head. _You know that it's a terrible idea, don't you? You and him? That can only end in one way…pain._

That got Harry's hackles up. _He's a great guy. I really like him. And he seems to really like me._

Niall frowned. _You're a novelty. You're all shiny and interesting right now, but how long before he gets bored? Or frustrated with how hard it can be to communicate?_ He paused for a moment. _How are you communicating, by the way?_

Harry was still stinging from Niall's assessment of Harry's status, but he set that aside for a moment to answer his last query. _He's learning to sign, and when that doesn't work, we use our mobiles._

_And you don't think he'll get tired of that?_

Harry was a little ashamed that his reaction to that question was to feel tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. He angrily swiped them away.

Niall's hard look immediately softened. _I didn't mean to…. I'm just worried about you._

 _I know,_ Harry admitted.

_You really like him, don't you?_

Harry nodded.

Niall sighed and leaned back in his chair. _It's just that I've dated hearing girls before, and at the beginning they're all 'teach me sign language' and 'I don't care that you're deaf,' but then they get bored or embarrassed by the way I speak or there's something we can't do together, and they bail. This is your first time dating someone hearing. I'm just trying to save you some agony._

Harry had been through enough of Niall's break-ups to know what he was talking about. Before he could even say anything, however, Niall went on. _And Louis isn't just hearing, he's famous. Super famous. He's chased by paparazzi every day. You'll be in the papers, too, once they figure out you're dating. How's that going to go over, popstar dating deaf guy? Now that I think of it, how have you avoided that so far?_

_We don't go anywhere public. We hang out at his house._

_Well, that can't last forever. He'll want you to attend some event with him and then, boom, you're in the **Daily Mirror**_ **.**

_I get what you're trying to say…._

Niall sighed. _But you really like him._

 _I do,_ Harry told him. _I really do. Isn't it wrong to give up just because it'll be hard?_

Now Niall shook his head, a small smile on his face. _You're determined to try this, aren’t you? There isn't anything I can say to talk you out of it?_

Harry mimicked Niall's head shake. _I want you to meet him. I think you'll really like him. He's sweet and kind, and he's wickedly funny._

_Fine. Set it up. But he says one thing that makes me think he'll hurt you, and he'll get to know me better than he wants._

Harry chuckled. _Deal. Now finish your food._

Niall obliged and picked up his fork again to scarf down the rest of his breakfast. As he did, Harry couldn't stop replaying their conversation over and over in his head. What if Niall was right, and he was making a giant mistake by continuing to still see Louis?

What if Louis broke his heart?

                                    *                                  *                                  *

As usual, they met up at Louis' flat in the evening. Harry was tired after a lecture and a short shift at the bookstore, and the first day of rehearsal for a tour always wiped Louis out. Harry made them a simple pasta dinner--he had long since gotten comfortable taking over Louis' kitchen--then they settled on Louis' couch to pretend to watch television, much as they'd done every night they'd spent together.

 _"You're quiet tonight,"_ Louis signed as he spoke. He was learning more and more signs every day. He carried a sign language dictionary with him everywhere and sneaked time to teach himself whenever he had a spare moment, and Harry gave him lessons just about every time they were together. Harry was a patient teacher and told Louis he was picking things up quickly.

 _Sorry_ , Harry replied. As had become his custom since he and Louis had begun signing to each other more and more, Harry carefully mouthed the words he himself signed in order to make sure he was understood.

_"Long day?"_

Harry shrugged. _It's not that._

 _"What is it?"_ Louis asked, concerned. Harry was usually animated and full of energy, but he definitely seemed troubled this evening.

 _I got into it with Niall this morning,_ Harry told him, frowning.

Louis shook his head, _"All I got was 'I,' 'Niall' and 'morning.'"_

Harry pulled out his mobile and began to type. **Niall figured out that I'm seeing you, and he's not very impressed.**

After he read Harry's explanation, Louis said, **I can't imagine why. I am very impressive.**

His attempt at humour was met with a quelling look. Louis signed, _Sorry._

Harry shook his head. **He's pretty convinced this is all going to end badly.**

 _"You and me?"_ Louis confirmed.

Harry nodded this time.

 **Is it the famous part or the hearing part?** Louis inquired.

 _Yes,_ Harry answered.

Louis sighed. **Well, if it's any consolation, I had the same conversation with Liam and Zayn this morning. Just like Niall, they don't seem convinced that this will work out.**

 _Do you think we're kidding ourselves?_ Harry asked. He was clearly fighting tears as he typed the question into his phone when Louis didn't get the signs. It broke Louis' heart.

Louis set the mobile on the coffee table and pulled Harry close for a tender kiss, going for comfort more than passion. When they parted, Louis shook his head firmly. _"No."_

 _Are you sure?_ Harry checked, his face still incredibly sad.

Louis nodded. _"I am."_ He picked the phone back up to add, **I haven't felt this connected to anyone in a long time. I can't even explain it.**

As he read Louis' words, a small smile appeared on Harry's face, and he said, _Me, too._

Louis made a grabbing motion for the mobile. **We can make this work. I know we can.**

Harry's smile grew just a little bit bigger.

Louis went on. **I told Liam and Zayn I wanted you to meet them. I was thinking you could come to our last day of rehearsal. That'll be the full run-through. You did say you wanted to hear our songs.**

Harry nodded in response to the invitation. _Sure. I'd love to come._

_"Excellent. It's a date, then."_

As if by silent agreement, they discussed nothing else heavy the rest of the evening. They found a romantic comedy on TV and turned on the captions before proceeding to ignore them, getting lost instead in each other and their desire to strengthen their connection.

                                   

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OT5 FTW!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so, so much for all the lovely comments, as well as the hits and kudos. I appreciate them more than you'll ever know. I am so glad everyone is enjoying the story so far!
> 
> Next Update: Monday (10/6) [I will be out of town this weekend and unable to post on Sunday. Sorry :-(]
> 
> On to the new chapter...

Louis was incredibly, wildly uneasy as he arrived at the warehouse on the day of their final rehearsal. Their songs had come along well--they all sounded fantastic live--and their choreography wasn't too cheesy, so he was confident their shows would be fun for both the band and their audiences. Well, most of their audiences. The one they were going to have that day was not their average audience, not when that audience was Harry.

Louis had sworn his assistant, Jane, to secrecy regarding Harry. She had proven to be the first person not to question Louis' sanity, and she had happily arranged for a car to bring Harry to the rehearsal. It was due any moment now.

"You nervous, Lou?" Liam stated the obvious. He patted Louis' shoulder. "It's going to be fine."

Louis turned to look his bandmate straight in the eye. "Be nice to him, Li, okay? Please?"

Louis had told his bandmates that Harry was coming to the last rehearsal just a few days before, and they had been equal parts enthusiastic and curious. Louis had laid all kinds of dos and don'ts on them for when Harry was there, including how to speak to him and how they weren't to be too overwhelming.

"Of course I'll be nice," Liam scoffed. "I'm looking forward to meeting him."

"I assume we're talking about our guest this morning," Zayn popped in between Louis and Liam to ask.

Liam nodded. "Louis thinks we're going to be mean to him."

Louis immediately began to protest and explain that that wasn't what he meant, but Liam stopped him with a hand on his forearm. "Chill, Lou."

"I think he's here," Zayn commented, pointing to the back door of the warehouse, the one they'd been using as an entrance all week. "I assume one of those blokes is your Harry."

Louis looked over where Zayn was pointing. Sure enough, Harry stood just inside the doorway, signing animatedly with a blond-haired guy who Louis presumed must be Niall. Louis hurried over to greet them, Liam and Zayn trailing behind him.

"Harry!" As Louis approached, Harry smiled softly, waving as he did so. Louis kissed Harry's cheek. _"Hi."_

 _Hi,_ Harry returned. _How are you?_

_"I'm good. Glad you're here. How are you?"_

_I'm fine,_ Harry replied. Then he turned to point to his blond-haired friend. _This is Niall. Niall, this is Louis._

Niall reached out a hand to Louis and, in a move that surprised Louis, spoke aloud to say, "Nice to meet you." His voice was a little nasal, just the way Louis had heard in some of the videos he'd mainlined since meeting Harry. Niall was perfectly intelligible, though, and it made Louis wonder, yet again, why Harry had yet to speak a word to Louis beyond the "no" from their aborted first date. Gemma had said his speech wasn't bad.

 _"Nice to meet you, too,"_ Louis told Niall, shaking off all thoughts of Harry's muteness.

 _I hope it's okay I brought Niall,_ Harry said, his face showing concern about what he'd done.

 _"Sure. It's fine,"_ Louis assured him.

 _I thought you should meet, and this seemed like a good time,_ Harry explained further. _And he's a great interpreter, too._

Louis couldn't help wishing that weren't necessary, but he kept that opinion to himself and made his own introductions instead. _"This is Liam and Zayn, my bandmates."_ He made sure to indicate who was who. _"Liam, Zayn, this is Harry and his roommate Niall."_

All the boys shook hands and exchanged "nice to meet you"s.

Louis didn't know quite what to say next, but was saved from having to come up with something when Liam said to Harry, "Louis' told us a lot about you. We're really glad you were able to come to the run-through today." He used a clear, not-too-loud voice, just as Louis had directed.

A pang of pure jealousy passed through Louis when, clearly a little confused, Harry turned to Niall rather than Louis for interpretation. Liam had apparently not been quite clear enough, or Harry was tripped up by his accent. When Niall had filled Harry in, Harry nodded and smiled at Liam. _Me, too. I'm looking forward to it._

Louis jumped in to speak on Harry's behalf, since he knew those signs, and he was pleased when a surprised look crossed Niall's face. For their part, Liam and Zayn seemed impressed, which was an added bonus.

Jane came over at that moment and handed Louis a sheaf of papers. Louis thanked her and checked they were what he thought they were, then he handed them to Harry. _"Our lyrics. They're in the order we sing them."_

Harry instantly took a moment to flip briefly through the papers before folding them and putting them under his arm so he could sign. _Thanks. This will help a lot._

Louis shrugged as if it were nothing, but he was glad he'd thought to have Jane print out the songs. _"I only had Jane make one copy. Should I get her to make another for you, Niall?"_

Niall shook his head and grinned. _"We can share. Thanks."_

Their stage manager yelled over that they were ready when Louis, Liam, and Zayn were.

Liam called back that they'd be there in just a second as Louis told Harry and Niall, _"Time for us to start. Follow me."_ He reached for Harry's hand.

Louis led them to a spot not far from the front of the stage. Jane was waiting there, and Louis introduced her to Harry and Niall. _"If you need anything while we're practising, Jane can help you out."_

Harry and Niall both nodded.

 _"See you in a bit,"_ Louis said to them both, leaning forward to kiss Harry's cheek once more.

Harry smiled and squeezed Louis' hand before letting him go so he could jump up on the stage. One of the stagehands, Steve, handed him his microphone, while another, Randy, fixed his mic pack onto the back of his jeans and handed him his in-ears.

Moments later, the band began to play the opening notes, Louis fixed his gaze on Harry, and the run-through was underway.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Harry had been to a concert before, but this was a completely different experience, standing right up near the front with Niall, lyrics in hand, no other distractions. It was amazing.

Louis was like a ball of energy on stage, running around and playing with Liam and Zayn. His eyes constantly sought out Harry, too, though, and they shared many a smile.

About halfway through the show, Niall hit his bicep to get his attention. Harry turned to Niall with questioning eyes.

 _He really, really likes you,_ Niall pointed out with a grin. _He can't take his eyes off you._

Harry felt himself blush.

 _He is kind of cute,_ Niall mused. _If you like that kind of thing._

 _I do,_ Harry said, grinning back at his friend. _I like that kind of thing a lot._

Niall rolled his eyes, though he was still smiling as he did so.

The roommates shared the lyrics, taking turns reading them through each time a new song started. Harry couldn't know for sure, but he didn't think he'd ever heard any of the songs before; he certainly didn't have any of the songs on his iPod. Niall said he was pretty sure "What Makes You Beautiful" was popular, and that was the song Louis had wanted to know how to sign on their aborted first date. It was the final song they sang before ending their run-through.

When they were done, Louis pulled the pack off his back pocket and handed it and his microphone off to a stagehand, who then wandered off to get the same from Louis' bandmates. Louis jumped off the stage and made a beeline for where Harry and Niall stood.

Louis was beaming as he approached. When he reached them, he offered Harry a sweet kiss on the lips. _What did you think?_

 _You were amazing,_ Harry complimented him, smiling fondly. _The whole show has a lot of…energy._

 _"A lot of…?"_ Louis got all but the last word.

Harry signed it again, then looked to Niall for help. "Energy," Niall supplied helpfully. _"It really was a great show."_

 _"Thanks,"_ Louis said. Turning back to Harry, he asked, _"Did you have a favourite song or all kind of the same?"_

Harry bit his lip as he thought over Louis' question. The songs had all had a different quality to them, and he had liked a fair portion of them, particularly the faster, rockier ones. He went back to the lyric packet to find the name of one he had particularly liked, then held up the page for Louis to see.

"Midnight Memories?" Louis confirmed.

Harry nodded with a wide grin. _It was very cheeky._ He made sure to spell 'cheeky' out, since he was pretty sure Louis wouldn't know that sign.

Louis grinned right back at him. _"I wrote that one, so thank you."_

At this point, Zayn and Liam materialised by Louis' side. Harry smiled at the two of them and said, _Great show, guys!_ He watched as Niall automatically interpreted for him.

Harry was incredibly glad Niall had agreed to come with him to the rehearsal. Louis was getting better at signing each time they got together, but he wasn't good enough to interpret, not near it, and Harry hadn't wanted to be totally beholden to his phone when he met Liam and Zayn for the first time. Niall had readily agreed to come, although Harry knew his motivation had been less helping Harry out and more checking Louis out. Whatever, as long as he did help Harry while he sussed out Louis.

Liam checked his watch and announced, "I'm starving."

Harry didn't need any help figuring that one out, especially not when Niall chimed in, _"Me, too!"_ Niall reserved that kind of enthusiasm for just two things: food and girls. They hadn't been discussing girls.

"So," Liam went on. "Dinner, then?"

After Louis and Zayn nodded their agreement, Liam looked to Harry and Niall. "You guys will join us, yeah?"

 _I assume you want to go,_ Niall stated.

Harry nodded. _Do you mind?_

Niall shook his head, then met Liam's gaze. _"We're in."_

"Excellent!"

Harry watched the Up All Night boys haggle about where to go, only catching a word here or there, but it didn't really matter, since neither he nor Niall was picky. As long as a place served food, they'd both be good.

It was Liam who made the phone call which seemed to be to ask for a reservation and a secluded table, if Harry was reading his lips correctly. When Liam ended the call, he gave a thumbs up.

Harry asked Louis, _Where are we going?_

"A little Italian place Zayn found a couple years ago," Louis told him, spelling out "Italian" and pointing to Zayn. _"All right?"_

Harry nodded. _Sounds good._

 _"I have my car here,"_ Louis explained. _"You and Niall can ride with me. That okay?"_

Harry traded a look with Niall, who shrugged with an easy smile, then he said to Louis, _That's fine._

Louis checked with his bandmates once more to sort out timing, then he gestured for Harry and Niall to follow him out to his car. It wasn't long before Louis' black Range Rover was headed for the city and Zayn's Italian restaurant.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

When Louis had described the restaurant they were going to as "little," Harry had not imagined he had meant "little" so literally. The restaurant, called Bellissimo, was very small indeed. The main part of the restaurant seated, by Harry's quick count, about ten parties, maybe twelve, although they weren't seated in the main part of the restaurant, but rather a private room in the back that they got all to themselves.

The table they were led to was round, and Harry could have kissed the wait staff. Dinner conversations with more than one other person who didn't sign could be difficult, but a round table made it much easier to tell who was speaking. Harry sat himself directly across from Niall, since Niall was helping interpret, but right next to Louis, since he found he didn't want to be too far away from him.

They perused the menus and placed their orders for food and drinks before settling down into any real conversation. It was hard to tell who was more curious, Liam and Zayn regarding Harry or Harry regarding Louis' bandmates.

Louis opened the conversation, though, with a question for Niall. Harry wondered if that wasn't to give Harry a chance to acclimate to the dynamics at the table. He wasn't sure how Louis would have known to do that--since they had yet to sit down with a group of other people to converse--but he'd take the opportunity all the same.

Louis was trying his best to use the signs that he knew, spelling the words out when he didn't know the actual sign. _"So, Niall, what are you studying?"_

 _"Business,"_ Niall informed him. _"Boring, I know, but I want to own my own business when I'm done with school."_

 _"What kind?"_ Louis probed for details.

_"I want to have an Irish pub."_

"That's so cool," Liam commented.

Louis made sure to point out to Harry who'd spoken, and he was actually able to interpret what Liam had said, too. Harry was impressed. He suspected Louis had been doing some serious research, and it warmed Harry's heart to think about how hard Louis was working to make all of this work.

"What about you, Harry?" Liam asked while he still had the floor.

 _What am I studying?_ Harry checked through Niall.

Liam nodded.

 _Physiotherapy,_ Harry replied. _I want to do either sports therapy or work with older people. Not sure which._

Louis let Niall take that one. Harry watched as Niall spoke for him, again incredibly grateful Niall had agreed to come. He was going to owe him big time after this evening.

"That's pretty cool, too," Liam told him. "None of the three of us even tried university."

 _It's a lot of work,_ Harry said. _But hopefully it will be worth it._

The waiter brought bread to the table at this juncture, and all the boys attacked it with vigour before continuing to get to know each other.

Harry decided to ask his own question, through Niall. _You guys are leaving on tour soon. Where are you most excited about going?_

Louis got his attention to answer first, spelling out his reply. _"South America."_

Zayn jumped in to add, "We've never been before. I can't wait to get to Rio de Janeiro to see Christ the Redeemer." Louis pointed out who had spoken before doing his best to interpret, Niall providing assistance when he got tripped up by the city's and statue's names.

 _Liam?_ Harry turned to get the third member's response.

"I'm excited about South America, too, but there are so many of the European cities which are fun, too. Amsterdam's always a blast, and Paris is usually a good time, too."

Harry got almost none of that, but Niall did, and interpreted.

"Maybe you can come out and see one of the actual shows," Liam went on. "Both of you," he added, including Niall in the invitation.

Harry got most of what Liam said that time, and he smiled. _I'd love to._ He was thrilled to discover that he was slowly getting used to the way Liam spoke. Zayn would take some getting used to, as well, though he hadn't spoken enough for Harry to begin to get a feel for reading his lips.

Niall provided an enthusiastic, _"Me, too. That would be great."_

With a smile back at Harry, Louis said, _"We'll set it up, then. I'd love for you to come."_

There was silence for a moment, which was kept from being awkward when their waiter chose that moment to bring their salads.

They spent the next little while digging into those, and by the time most of them were close to done, Harry had thought of another question to ask. _You guys all tried out for **The X-Factor** as solo performers, right? How did you feel about being put together as a group?_

Louis looked pleasantly surprised by his query--once Niall had relayed it--but, just as he knew Louis had done, Harry had done a bit of research, too. He could Google with the best of them. He had even watched some of the videos he'd found posted on YouTube, though most of them were, sadly, not captioned.

Zayn responded to his question first, and Niall was able to interpret, since he had raced through his salad like it was a contest. "I wasn't sure about it at first, but once we got through Judges' Houses, I was pretty sure it was the best decision they could have made."

Liam's thought was, "I had tried out for the show two years earlier, and it was so much better to do the competition as a group."

 _Louis? What about you?_ Harry inquired.

Louis grinned. _"I was excited to be in a group. We all got along well from the start, and it was so much fun working together on everything."_ He needed help with a couple of signs, which Harry provided, but Harry was so proud of Louis for how good his signing was becoming. He could tell Niall was impressed, too, which was a nice extra. He wanted Niall to like Louis--it would make this all so much easier--and he felt like they were off to a good start.

Liam was the next one to come up with a question. He shifted his gaze from Niall to Harry, then back as he asked, "So, when you guys aren't studying, what do you like to do?"

Even Niall shook his head at the question with no context. _"When we aren't…?"_ He looked to Louis for help, Louis being the next best thing to an interpreter at the table.

Louis spelled out, _"Studying."_

"Ah. Duh." Niall smiled now he got it, and he showed Louis the sign before he answered, _"Well, I work a lot, so the rest of my time is either sleeping or drinking. Pretty boring stuff."_

 _You play FIFA,_ Harry was quick to add.

 _"Football! I forgot football,"_ Niall exclaimed. _"I love football."_

 _"Do you play?"_ Louis inquired, his interest quickly piqued.

Niall nodded. _"Harry does, too, though he's shit at it."_

Harry glared at him, shaking his head.

 _"It's true,"_ Niall insisted.

Harry confirmed what Niall said with a beleaguered sigh and a sad smile and nod.

The others all laughed.

"What about you, Harry?" Liam questioned, pointing toward him to make sure he got that he was being addressed.

 _Well, I work at the bookstore four or five days a week,_ Harry told them. _So when I'm not studying, I sleep a lot, like Niall. School is exhausting._

"You can't just study, work, eat, and sleep," Zayn commented with a wry grin, going on to joke, "That's boring."

Harry blushed, though he was pleased that Zayn felt comfortable teasing him. He smiled to let Zayn know he wasn't offended, then said, _I like to write._

"Write what?" Zayn asked, his face showing genuine interest. In fact, Liam and Louis were likewise looking at him expectantly.

Harry's blush didn't go away as he admitted, _Poetry._

 _"Really?"_ Louis was surprised. _"I didn't know that. That's amazing. You'll have to let me read some."_

 _"Good luck with that,"_ Niall wished with a smirk.

 _It's personal,_ Harry defended himself. _I don't even know if I'm any good._

Louis grinned encouragingly. _"I'll bet you are."_

Harry was thrilled that the waiter chose this time to bring them their entrees. He hoped to change the subject the minute they'd all staved off the worst of their remaining hunger.

He ended up just turning Liam's question around on him. _I know you guys are busy a lot with work, but what do you like to do when you're not working?_

Liam grinned. "Definitely sleep. Sleep is awesome. And songwriting, though I guess that's part of working." Louis knew almost none of those signs, so he allowed Niall to carry the burden of interpreting for a bit.

Harry pursed his lips and nodded his agreement. _What else?_

"I like playing video games and watching movies, just like regular people," Liam offered. "And I do enjoy the occasional workout. I used to box."

 _Really?_ Harry asked, mouthing the word, too.

Niall didn't even have to interpret that for Liam to nod. "Yep."

 _How did you get into that?_ Harry was curious to find out.

"I was teased a lot as a kid, so my sister's boyfriend taught me to box," Liam revealed. "It was a lot of fun. Got me out of my head."

Harry nodded in understanding. _That's really cool._ He turned to Louis' other bandmate. _What about you, Zayn, what do you like to do best?_

Zayn smiled lazily. "All of those things Liam said. And art." Louis knew those signs and waved at Niall that he had it, and he told Harry what Zayn had said.

 _Art? What kind?_ Harry wanted to know, raising his eyebrows to show his serious interest.

"Mostly comic book art, though I dabble in other things," Zayn answered. "Art is great for relaxing." Louis sighed and turned to Niall for help on this one. Harry could tell he was a little frustrated he couldn't help Harry out more here. Harry would have to be sure to tell Louis later how well he was doing for someone who had only been signing for three weeks.

 _I can imagine,_ Harry said.

Niall had a question for the whole table next. _"What kind of movies do you all like? Harry and I just saw the second **Captain America**. It was sick."_

"You guys go to movies?" Liam looked surprised by the very concept.

Niall offered Liam a scathing look. _"Of course. You see, there are these things called captions…."_

Liam held his hands up in surrender. "You're right, you're right. I forgot. So, what kind of movies do you like to read captions for?"

Niall chuckled. _"Comedies."_

"Oh, me, too," Zayn answered. "Which is your favourite?"

Niall needed no time to think on that one. _" **Anchorman**."_

Harry rolled his eyes at Niall's response. Niall didn't actually notice, but Louis did. _"What? You don't think it's good?"_

 _I don't need to think. It isn't,_ Harry declared, a disgusted look on his face. Zayn and Liam chuckled when Louis repeated Harry's declaration.

 _"So, tell them your favourite,"_ Niall challenged him. Looking from Zayn to Liam to Louis, he added, _"He's totally a girl in disguise."_

 _"I hope not!"_ Louis exclaimed with a grin.

Harry sent Niall the stink-eye before beaming at Louis.

"What is your favourite?" Liam asked, clearly curious.

 ** _Love Actually_** _,_ Harry admitted, not even a little embarrassed by the admission.

Louis made sure Harry was looking at him when he said, _"That's a great movie."_

Harry turned on Niall with a triumphant look on his face. _See?_

 _"He'd agree with anything you said,"_ Niall countered. _"If you said your favourite movie was… **Waterworld** …he'd say that was a great movie."_

This time, Harry stuck his tongue out at his best friend.

The waiter came just then to pick up their empty plates and ask whether or not they wanted dessert. They all agreed they were just too full and asked for the bill. It was still early enough they could all head home and relax some before bed.

Louis insisted upon covering the bill, even when Harry and Niall both pulled out their wallets to try to pay their share. Harry knew that Up All Night was making money hand over fist, so he nodded to Niall to let Louis have his way. In no time, they were all paid up and ready to go.

 _"You want to go home or come back to mine?"_ Louis asked Harry as they all got up from their seats.

Harry shrugged. _I could come over. If you're not too tired._

 _"Absolutely not. I'd love for you to come,"_ Louis assured him.

 _What about Niall?_ Harry pointed at his roommate. _Can we drop him off?_

 _"Sure,"_ Louis agreed. _"That's fine."_

Liam came up to them. "Harry going home with you, Lou?" Harry caught his meaning straight away and nodded along with Louis.

"I can drop Niall off," Liam offered.

Niall came around the table, then, pulling on his jacket. _"What's going on?"_

_I'm going back to Louis'. Liam says he can drop you off. That okay?_

Niall shrugged. _"Sure."_

Harry turned to Louis. _Give us a second?_ He indicated Niall and himself.

Louis nodded and pointed to the back of the restaurant. _"We'll wait just outside."_ Louis kissed Harry's cheek before leaving with Liam and Zayn.

When the band was gone, Harry turned to Niall. _You sure you're okay going home with Liam? Louis offered, too._

_It's fine. Doesn't matter who I go with. It's all good._

Harry paused a moment before hesitantly asking, _What do you think?_

 _About Louis?_ Niall confirmed that this is what Harry was getting at.

Harry nodded.

 _He seems great. I'm impressed he already knows so much sign. He really does seem to like you. If you could see the way he stares at you when you aren't looking at him…. It's kind of embarrassing, to be honest._ Niall smiled to make sure Harry knew he was joking. Harry reached out to punch his arm anyhow, just for good measure.

Niall's face slipped into seriousness. _I can see why you like him. He seems genuine, like he wants a proper relationship. I still think you need to be careful, but I say go for it, if he's truly what you want._

Harry smiled and threw his arms around Niall for a quick, fierce hug. _Thanks,_ he said when he let go.

 _Come on now,_ Niall urged. _We're keeping popstars waiting._

Harry grinned. _Well…we can't have that, can we?_

                                    *                                  *                                  *

When they got back to Louis' flat, they settled down on the sofa with two bottles of beer, sitting facing each other, as they had gotten in the habit of doing so they could talk easily between them, be it by sign or phone.

Harry took a swig from his bottle, then put it down on the table to say, _Niall really liked you._

 _"And I really liked him,"_ Louis returned. " _Zayn and Liam really liked you, too. Liam said again that I need to set it up for you to come to a show."_ He was only able to sign about half the words of such a long sentence at this point, but he had learned to be able to tell when Harry didn't get what Louis was trying to say and when he did. This time, Harry did, and he nodded and smiled sweetly.

 _I enjoyed the show this afternoon,_ Harry went on. _You guys are great performers._

_"Thank you. I'm so glad you came. And had a good time."_

_When do you guys leave again?_

_"Sunday afternoon,"_ Louis reminded him. _"I need to pack tomorrow, but do you want to do something tomorrow night?"_

Harry nodded. _Sure. I have a shift at the bookstore, but I can meet you here after._

Louis shook his head. _"Let me meet you there. We can find someplace near there to eat."_

Harry's eyebrows shot up with surprise. _Really?_

Louis understood his surprise. Up until then, they had gotten together almost exclusively at Louis' flat. By some divine miracle, they had not been photographed together either of the times they had met at Tea and Coffee, but this early in their relationship, Louis hadn't wanted to risk getting caught by the press. He was about to leave for a few weeks, though, and he was prepared to throw caution to the wind. _"We can find someplace…_ inconspicuous." He raised his own eyebrows in question, silently checking that Harry got the word he didn't know how to sign.

Harry nodded once more and made the sign Louis had missed before he said, _Okay. I'd like that._

Both boys picked up their bottles to drink. The silence that fell around them was an easy one.

After a few moments, Louis cleared his throat nervously. _"Can I ask you a question you don't have to answer?"_ He had to repeat that one when Harry's face clouded with confusion.

When it seemed like Harry understood, he warily signed, _Okay._

Louis took another moment to compose his thoughts into a query he hoped wouldn't offend Harry. He finally settled for, _"Why don't you speak?"_

Harry blushed a deep red; Louis wasn't quite able to tell whether he was mad or not. When Harry didn't immediately say anything, Louis went on to add, _"It's not that I mind. I don't. I love watching you sign; so beautiful. I'm just curious because Niall…."_

 _Does_ , Harry finished the thought for him.

Louis nodded, then gave Harry some time.

Harry paused, biting his bottom lip. Finally, when Louis was about to repeat that Harry was under no obligation to answer the question, Harry pulled out his phone. Louis knew that meant he didn't want to be misunderstood, and he waited patiently while Harry typed what he wanted to say, taking the mobile when Harry was done. **When I was little, I had speech therapy every week since before I can remember. At home, my mum and sister seemed to understand everything I said, so speaking never bothered me. Then I went to school, where almost nobody understood me. I remember people's faces when I would try to talk. And the other kids used to make fun of me every day. So I stopped talking anywhere except home.**

 _"But Gemma said your speech was fine,"_ Louis told him, trying to reconcile what Harry had said with what his sister had suggested.

Harry's eyes widened. _She did?_

Louis nodded. Into the phone, he wrote, **I would stop speaking, too, though, if people made fun of me. But you know I wouldn't do that, right?**

Louis thought he saw tears in the corners of Harry's eyes as he nodded. _I know._

 _Good._ He reached out to catch the tear that escaped down Harry's cheek.

Harry swiped at his eyes to clear the rest of the tears before gesturing to get the mobile back. **To answer the other part of your question…. Niall wasn't born deaf. He lost his hearing when he was three, and he caught meningitis. He has a little more hearing than I do, and since he was talking before he went deaf, his speech is a lot better. He's a lot better at lip reading, too, which is why I brought him with me today.**

 **That makes sense,** Louis returned. When he handed the mobile back, he pointed to the words and requested for Harry to show him how to say it in sign. Harry complied, and Louis repeated it a couple times to make certain he had it.

Harry typed something else into the phone. **Did you mean what you said before? That you don't mind that I don't speak?**

Louis nodded emphatically as soon as he read what Harry had written. _"Absolutely."_ He knew the signs he needed this time. _"I also meant the part where I love watching you sign."_ In order to illustrate his preference for using sign language for the rest of the evening, he leaned over to slip Harry's mobile into the front pocket of Harry's jeans, where he'd be able to feel the vibration if he got a text, but it would be otherwise out of the way.

Harry smiled at Louis' gesture, then leaned over himself, though he did so to press his lips to Louis'. Louis was perfectly happy to hold off the night's signing lesson for just a few minutes more….

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get down to business. Then time for a little more angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I continue to be amazed and humbled by all the love being showered on my story. I am so glad people are finding it and enjoying it. I hope that continues to be the case as I continue to add chapters.
> 
> This is just about the halfway point of the story here.
> 
> Next Update: Wednesday (10/8)
> 
> On with the show....

Louis allowed himself to sleep much later than usual Saturday morning, then he spent the afternoon throwing two weeks' worth of clothes into his favourite large suitcase and adding some new songs to his iPod. For good measure, he downloaded some TV onto his iPad so he would have plenty to entertain himself on the long flight and during lonely nights in the hotel.

Harry texted mid-afternoon to let Louis know he'd be ready at about half-six, and Louis texted him back to let him know he'd be waiting outside the store then.

He dressed in a pair of skinny black jeans and put on a soft light-blue button-down shirt, topping the whole ensemble off with a black blazer he thought might actually be Zayn's. No matter. He figured he would be dressed appropriately for whatever restaurant he and Harry chose for dining.

Louis did add a black beanie and a pair of aviators to his outfit after he climbed out of his car, hoping they would continue to do a good job of keeping him more or less undercover. He waited just beside the entrance to Waterstones, idly checking his Twitter feed as he waited for Harry to appear.Which he did about five minutes after Louis had arrived.

 _Hi,_ Harry greeted him with a grin and a kiss.

_"Hi. Work okay?"_

Harry shrugged. _It was fine. Glad to be off now._

 _"Did you think about where we might go to eat?"_ Since Harry worked in the area, he had promised to try to think about someplace quiet where they wouldn't be bothered.

_There's a pub just a few blocks away with lots of hidden corners. What do you think?_

Louis nodded. _"Sounds good to me. Let's go."_

Harry turned to the right and started off down the street, Louis keeping pace at his side. After about a block, Louis grabbed Harry's hand in his, intertwining their fingers. When Harry looked at him with surprise, Louis raised his eyebrows and mouthed, "Okay?"

Harry answered with a smile and a shy nod, squeezing Louis' hand.

They turned down a couple more streets before coming to a pub called The Stag's Heart.

 _This look okay?_ Harry signed one handed as they came to a stop in front of the pub.

The pub wasn't situated on a main road, but rather on a side road, and it looked both homey and unassuming. _"Looks great."_

Harry pulled Louis inside and past the sign that said, "Seat yourselves." He clearly had a table in mind, and Louis' assessment was proven correct when Harry stopped by a booth set in a corner and raised his eyebrows in silent question.

 _"Perfect."_ Louis let go of Harry's hand and slipped onto one of the benches as Harry took the one opposite. A waitress appeared almost instantly and took their order for two pints of Guinness, promising she'd be back to take their dinner order shortly.

Once they had drinks and their dinner order was in, they settled down to talk.

 _"So, I was thinking about you coming to one of our shows,"_ Louis said. _"You still up for that?"_

_Of course. I'd like that a lot._

_"You can pick any date you want, and I'll fly you there,"_ Louis promised.

 _Seriously?_ Harry seemed genuinely surprised. _You don't have to do that._

 _"I want to. You can see us when we play here, of course. We're playing at Wembley. But I thought you might like coming to one of the other cities we're playing in_."

_Do you have a list of the dates?_

Louis nodded again and pulled out his phone. He quickly found the document he kept there for reference, then handed the mobile to Harry, who scrolled through the dates with interest. When he was done, he passed the phone back.

 _Wembley would be fine,_ Harry told him.

Louis had watched his face while he looked at the dates, though, and he had noticed his eyes light up several times. _"Of course I'd love you to be at Wembley. Most of our families will be there, too. But surely some of the other cities could be fun, too."_

 _I don't want to be any trouble,_ Harry protested.

Louis shook his head. _"You wouldn't be any trouble at all. Pick a city."_

Harry pondered the idea for another moment. Louis could tell he was warring with himself about whether or not to accept Louis' offer. Finally, he said, _Would Paris be okay?_

Louis grinned. _"Paris would be awesome."_

_I'll be done with school then, and I can ask to not have a shift at the store that weekend._

_"I'll get my assistant right on that, then,"_ Louis told him. _"I'm so happy you're coming. Paris is always a good time."_

 _I've haven't been since I was little,_ Harry admitted. _I don't remember it very well._

 _"Well, I should even have a day off before so we can explore a little,"_ Louis commented.

_That would be great._

The waitress brought over their food at that point, and they dug in. Louis hadn't eaten since the late morning, and he guessed that Harry hadn't had much for lunch--he usually didn't on days he worked at the store--so they were both ravenous.

Louis was halfway through his burger when he felt sated enough to continue their conversation. _"I'm really going to miss you when we're in South America."_

Harry smiled wistfully. _Me, too._

_"I've gotten used to having you around."_

_Me, too._

_"I'm almost always available by text, though,"_ Louis went on. _"So you can text me whenever."_

Harry nodded. _Okay. And you're gone how long?_

 _"Two weeks."_ If Louis had known he was going to meet this fantastic, beautiful boy just before he had to leave for a tour, he would totally have pushed for a longer break. _"I'll have a couple weeks off when we get back, and then our first shows in the next leg are all here in the U.K."_

 _Then you're off to the rest of Europe and the U.S., right?_ He clearly had paid attention to Louis' entire schedule when he'd read it a few minutes ago.

Louis nodded, already mentally plotting how he could get Harry to some of the U.S. dates, too. He was struck by just how attached he'd grown to Harry in such a short time. He had not been even remotely joking when he'd told Harry that he felt a connection to him unlike any he'd ever felt with anyone before. He felt fairly confident that he was not alone in feeling this, either.

They were both quiet as they finished their meals, and when they'd split the bill, Louis asked, _"Do you want to come over to mine for a while?"_

_Sure. You don't have to leave early tomorrow?_

Louis shook his head.

_Then what are we waiting for?_

*                                  *                                  *

This evening felt different. More important than any other one they'd spent together. Louis couldn't quite explain why it felt like that. They weren't doing anything different than they normally did. They were sitting on the couch, a couple of beers on the table in front of them, and the television on low, playing--with captions--a movie Louis had seen a dozen times. They were, as usual, ignoring the TV completely in favour of kissing, which was, Louis decided, a way more noble pursuit.

Maybe it was because he was leaving the next day, and it would be yet another test of their budding relationship when they hadn't yet passed the other tests. They didn't yet know if they could really make the hearing/deaf thing work, or the famous/not famous thing, for that matter, and here they were testing the long distance thing. Louis thought their connection was strong enough to weather a separation, but perhaps they needed to step things up to be sure.

Harry's hand was up Louis' shirt, teasing his nipples, while he was trailing butterfly-soft kisses from Louis' mouth, down his neck, and onto his collarbone. Louis was moaning with appreciation despite knowing Harry couldn't hear it, but he hoped the fact that he was pressing himself as close to Harry as he could get without melding into his skin was sending the message just as clearly.

Louis' moan turned from one of pleasure to one of disappointment when Harry removed his hand from Louis' chest, but when Harry began unbuttoning Louis' shirt, Louis understood. Wanting Harry to be similarly disrobed, Louis started working on the buttons of Harry's own shirt, and in no time at all, the two shirts were crumpled in a messy pile on the floor, and Harry's mouth was attached to Louis' chest.

Louis used this opportunity to explore Harry's chest. They'd gotten this far--and only this far--once or twice, but everything still felt brand new. Louis traced first Harry's primary nipples, then ventured south to the second, smaller set he had discovered Harry possessed the first time Harry had shed his shirt for him. Harry had absently explained at that time that they were a genetic anomaly. This time, he pushed Harry away slightly to ask, "Do they feel the same?" He made sure to circle what he was talking about with his finger to help Harry understand.

Harry smiled and shook his head, so Louis made sure to concentrate on the set of nipples that produced a sound from deep in Harry's throat--a sound Louis wasn't entirely sure Harry was aware he was making.

On the other occasions they had gotten this far, they had stopped before going further, neither of them wanting to push too far too fast. Now that he was going away for two weeks, though, Louis found that he didn't want to stop. He only hoped Harry was feeling the same way.

When Harry started working on the button at the top of Louis' jeans, Louis felt assured that he and Harry were, indeed, on the same page. Regardless of this happy news, Louis put his hands over Harry's to stop what he was doing.

Harry looked up at Louis with confusion. Louis quickly lifted his hands to suggest, _Bed?_

Smiling, Harry nodded enthusiastically.

Louis raised himself off the couch, then grabbed Harry's hand to lead him through the flat to his bedroom. As they walked inside, Louis cringed at how messy the room was, but Harry didn't seem to notice. He seemed focused instead on pushing Louis down onto the bed, crawling right on top of Louis' shins to resume his extrication of Louis' jeans. Louis likewise worked on divesting Harry of his own black jeans.

Once their jeans were among the other clothes on Louis' floor, and they were clad only in their boxers, Louis got Harry's attention and pointed to the light. "On or off?" he asked.

 _On, please,_ Harry answered. _If they're off, I'm deaf and blind._

Louis nodded firmly. _"On it is."_ He reached up to put a hand on the back of Harry's neck so he could pull him down for a kiss that very quickly became very dirty.

It wasn't long at all before Louis felt his erection tenting his boxers, and if he didn't miss his guess, Harry's was pressing against his hip. Louis took a chance and reached a hand down to slip underneath the elastic of Harry's pants and take hold of Harry's hardening length.

Harry gasped at the touch, then plunged his tongue deeper into Louis' mouth.

Gently, so as not to end this all way too early, Louis ran his hand slowly up and down Harry's cock. Harry's breath hitched before he snaked a hand underneath the top of Louis' pants to mimic the movement. Louis' hips bucked of their own volition as Harry wrapped his hand around Louis' dick. It had been a long time since Louis had felt something so exquisite; Harry's hand was huge and completely engulfed Louis' member in warmth as he moved his hand from base to tip, then back again, all the while continuing to plunder the depths of Louis' mouth with his tongue.

When Harry finally moved his mouth from Louis' to nip at his collarbone, Louis made a request. "Boxers off." When Harry made no move to stop his ministrations, Louis belatedly remembered that Harry couldn't hear him. To get his message across this time, Louis reached his free hand down to tug meaningfully at the top of Harry's boxers.

Harry--to Louis' deep regret--removed his hand from Louis' cock to take care of his boxers. Louis used the opportunity to strip himself of his own, dropping them off to the side as carelessly as he'd done his jeans.

Harry shifted himself so he was kneeling between Louis' thighs. As he did so, he reached up to remove his hearing aids, bundling them in one hand and pointing to the night table, asking if he could set them there. Louis nodded, idly wondering just what Harry was able to hear without the aids in. His musing was interrupted when he became aware that Harry's mouth was now covering his dick in the place of his hand. And perhaps Harry spent most of his time not speaking, but Louis quickly figured out that this by no means meant Harry did not have an extremely talented tongue. This was most definitely not Harry's first time performing this particular act.

Louis lost his train of thought when Harry began running the tip of his tongue up and down his length. His breath was already hitching when Harry stopped teasing with his tongue and simply took the tip of Louis' cock in his mouth, and it was all Louis could do to keep breathing altogether.

Harry looked up at Louis at this point--mouth still sealed around his turgid member--and met his gaze, and Louis was fairly sure the question he saw in Harry's eyes was whether or not this was okay. Louis smiled and nodded, and Harry responded by taking more of him in his mouth, biting the underside lightly as he slowly worked the shaft.

After several agonizing moments when Louis really wished Harry would go ahead and add a little speed, Harry let Louis' dick go with a pop that actually echoed through the room. Louis was about to stage a protest when Harry used his thumb and index finger to lift the foreskin at the top of Louis' erection and catch some of the pre-come which had already leaked from the head.

Louis watched as Harry used his other hand to coat his index finger completely, then Louis gasped as Harry not only returned his mouth to Louis' penis, but introduced his finger to Louis' entrance. It was all Louis could do not to rocket off the bed.

Harry gazed up at Louis once again to check Louis' reaction. Louis nodded furiously and said, "More," trying his best to speak clearly the first time, because he didn't know how capable he truly was of any more speech given the rampant tingling running up and down his spine.

Harry smiled around Louis, and the dimples popping out as he did so caused Louis to harden even further. It was, maybe, the hottest thing he'd ever seen.

Harry pushed his finger into Louis gently, slowly beginning to stretch him. Louis really wished he were capable of returning some of the ecstacy Harry was currently bestowing upon him, but he was incapable of doing much more than running his hands encouragingly through Harry's curls, pressing down just enough that he hoped Harry knew it was okay to take Louis in deeper.

When Louis had relaxed around his index finger, Harry withdrew it and pulled his mouth away from Louis long enough to stick his index and middle fingers in his mouth. Louis had to look away not to come there and then. He looked back down when Harry's tongue again lapped at Louis' erection as Harry simultaneously pressed two fingers into his hole.

It took a moment of exploration, but Harry soon found Louis' prostate, rubbing the tip of his middle finger against the small nub, and Louis screamed at the sensation, secure in the knowledge that though Harry could not hear the scream, he could not miss the shudder of pleasure that ran through him from head to toe.

When Harry added a third finger into the mix, Louis knew he was not going to be able to last much longer. He tapped Harry's forehead to get his attention, then warned him, "I'm close."

Harry released Louis' dick and pulled his fingers from Louis' entrance--much to Louis' sadness--and signed something Louis didn't understand. Louis shook his head, and Harry patiently repeated the sign, this time mouthing the word.

"Oh! Condom." He pointed toward his night table, and Harry stretched to open the drawer and pull out the lube and condom packet he found there.

Louis reached out for the foil package, and Harry raised his eyebrows quizzically. _"Let me."_

Harry happily handed the packet over, and Louis ripped it open, throwing the foil to the side without even watching where it landed. Harry leaned back on his haunches, still kneeling between Louis' legs. Louis took the condom and rolled it down over Harry's rock-hard cock. He then made a motion for the lube, and Harry gave that over immediately. Louis squeezed some into his palm and warmed it between his hands for just a moment before moving to coat Harry's member with it.

Harry moaned blissfully at the sensation, and Louis was quickly discovering that any sound Harry made was a huge turn-on for him.

When Harry was as prepped as Louis was, he slung Louis' legs over his shoulders, raised his eyebrows again in query, this time to make sure Louis was ready, and when Louis gave him a curt nod--Harry needed to get inside him right now--he positioned himself and began pressing his length into Louis' hole. He locked gazes with Louis as he did so, and the connection Louis felt was stronger than anything he'd ever felt with another person.

In an act that was pure, unadulterated torture, Harry pushed in agonizingly slowly, clearly wanting to give Louis time to adjust to his considerable girth. It was a considerate move, but Louis wanted--needed--more. Since Harry was still looking right at him, and Louis's hands could be free if he unclenched them from the sheets, he said, _"More. Faster. Harder."_ He was incredibly happy these were all signs he knew so there would be no question Harry would get his meaning.

Harry did. He continued to move slowly until he was, finally, balls deep inside Louis. He waited approximately three seconds before he pulled almost all the way out, then began an almost punishing rhythm, finding an angle in which he was able to hit Louis' prostate on just about every single thrust.

Louis reached down to grab his own dick; he was right there on the edge of his release. Harry batted his hand away, though. Keeping one hand on Louis' hip for balance and stability, Harry wrapped the other around Louis' erection, pumping it with a rhythm matching that with which he was pounding into Louis' arse.

It did not take long for one particularly deep thrust to trigger the most powerful orgasm Louis had ever experienced. Wave after wave after wave of pleasure ripped through him, the white heat rendering him sightless for a few moments. He cried with ecstacy, his entire lower back arching off the bed.

As he tightened around Harry's cock, he felt it began to pulse as Harry reached his own orgasm. Harry let out a tiny cry as he filled the condom, continuing to push in and out of Louis until he was spent.

Louis noticed that Harry still had enough presence of mind to hold the base of his softening member to keep the condom in place until he had completely withdrawn from Louis. Once he was out, he carefully pulled the condom off, tying off the top and throwing it in the bin Louis kept by the bed.

Once Harry was done with his task, Louis pulled him back down onto the bed, making sure they were facing each other so they could talk. When he felt Harry shiver, he reached down to the end of the bed for his sheet and covered them up to their waists with it.

 _"That was amazing,"_ Louis pronounced, still just a little breathless.

Harry nodded sleepy agreement.

 _"I can't believe I have to leave tomorrow,"_ Louis said ruefully.

 _Something to look forward to when you get home,_ Harry pointed out with a lascivious grin.

Louis nodded. _"Good point."_

Neither of them said anything for a little bit. Louis grabbed some tissues from his bedside table to clean them up enough to be comfortable, then settled back to simply enjoy the moment, soaking it in so he could relive it whenever he needed to while he was away.

Harry finally sighed and made to push the sheet down and crawl out of the bed. Louis stopped him with a hand to Harry's forearm. Harry turned to him with questioning eyes. _"Stay,"_ Louis requested.

_You sure?_

Louis nodded once more. _"I'm sure. Come here."_ Louis gestured for Harry to slip into his arms, which Harry did readily. Louis wrapped his arms around Harry, rubbing little circles into his back until Harry became pliant. "Sleep well," Louis told him before Harry's eyes drifted shut.

Louis let go of Harry long enough to reach up and turn off his bedside lamp before pulling his sheet up so it covered them more completely. Then Louis gathered Harry up again, and Harry snuggled in close, resting his head on Louis' chest.

Louis lifted his head to place a kiss on Harry's cheek, soft and warm under Louis' lips. Louis was overcome in this moment with a rush of affection for the boy in his arms. He moved his mouth until it was just over Harry's ear. In a whisper, he confessed, "I think I'm falling in love with you."

What Harry didn't hear was just a tiny white lie. There was no thinking involved.

*                                  *                                  *

 _You slept with him?_ Perrie asked, clearly surprised.

 _Yes,_ Harry confirmed, smiling happily at the memory.

Perrie and Harry were sharing their first shift together since he and Louis had spent the night together, and she had cornered him in the break room the first chance she got to grill him about how things were going with his "popstar boyfriend."

 _Well, it's about time. So, how was it?_ Perrie wanted to know, raising her eyebrows and grinning.

_Amazing. Really amazing._

Perrie shook her head sadly.

 _What?_ Harry would have been lying if he said he wasn't perplexed by Perrie's response.

_He's good-looking, famous, **and** good in bed? So unfair._

Harry grinned and shrugged happily.

_So, he left Sunday?_

Harry nodded. Louis had been gone just four days, but it felt like so much longer to Harry. They had been texting each other when they had the time, but it wasn't remotely like being together in person. He missed Louis like crazy and was already counting the days until he got back to the U.K. Eleven, to be exact.

_You really like him, don't you?_

Harry felt a tell-tale blush creep up his neck and into his cheeks, so he knew there was no point in lying. _I do._

 _You're being careful, right?_ When Harry side-eyed her, she clarified, _With your heart, you donut. Don't give him all of it so fast._

Harry smiled wistfully. _I think it may be too late for that._

Perrie shook her head, but smiled fondly. _Well, I'm glad you're happy._ She glanced down at her watch. _Shit! We need to get back on the floor. Go for coffee when we get off?_

_If it's a quick one. I have work I need to catch up with._

Perrie grinned, teasing, _Popstar taking up a lot of your time?_

Harry sighed. _Yes. Now I have to catch up, before he comes back._

 _Work fast!_ Perrie suggested before leading the way back out into the store, where she went to take a register, and Harry collected a cart of books to shelve.

At five o'clock, they met up inside the entrance. As soon as Harry opened the door for Perrie to go outside and he followed, it was as if hell itself had broken loose.

At least a dozen men and women were standing right outside the door of the bookstore, and as soon as they caught sight of Harry, half of them lifted cameras to begin snapping photos of him, and the other half began shouting questions at him. He was suddenly able to sympathise with a deer who encountered headlights.

Harry couldn't begin to decipher what they were trying to ask him. Furthermore, he couldn't imagine why on Earth they were interested in anything Harry might have to say. Yet they kept shouting at him. Harry didn't even know what to attempt to focus on. As they crowded closer and closer, Harry was worried they might trigger a panic attack. He told himself to breathe, and he honed his attention in on Perrie.

Perrie was looking around the crowd, and Harry followed her gaze, though he didn't know what she was looking for. A few moments later, though, she apparently found it, and she grabbed his hand and dragged him with her.

She pulled him through a gap she'd found in the small crowd, then they ran, Perrie trailing her handbag behind her like it was her pet dog. It would have been hilarious had the scene outside the store not been monumentally terrifying.

They ran past Tea and Coffee; it was too close to the store, and there were a couple people from the crowd who were giving chase who would have caught up to them there. Instead, Perrie led Harry across the street the moment they got an opportunity, and they ducked into the Starbucks they had frequented before Tea and Coffee opened.

Perrie made a beeline for a table in the corner, pushing Harry into the seat which would put his back to the rest of the shop. She sat down opposite him, panting from the effort of the sprint they'd just taken.

Harry had to focus every bit of his energy and concentration on not hyperventilating, hauling in deep breath after deep breath until he felt his heart rate slow. When he no longer felt like he was going to have a heart attack, he regarded Perrie. _What the hell was that?_

Perrie was also breathing hard, and it took her a moment to answer. _That was the press finding out you're dating Louis Tomlinson._

Harry shook his head, not truly understanding. _What?_

 _They were asking questions about Louis,_ Perrie explained. _They wanted to know how long you've been seeing him. How you met. If it's serious._

Harry put his hand up to cover his face and exhaled sharply. When he removed his hand to regard Perrie again, she had her mobile out and was hunting for something on it. He used the time it took her to locate for whatever she was searching for to try to regulate his breathing and calm himself. Again.

After another couple minutes, Perrie presented him with her phone. His stomach turned as he read the Twitter feed she had found. Perrie had scrolled down the feed a little to a picture--a picture of him and Louis walking down the street away from Waterstones, hand in hand. It was a good picture; they looked very happy. It must have been from the night Louis had met him at work to go to dinner. As he scrolled up the feed, he felt more and more ill.

**@UANUpdates A stealthy fan caught this picture of Louis with a mysterious new boy!**

**@UANUpdates Does Louis have a new boyfriend?! Who is he??**

**@UANUpdates Clever fan spots Louis' new boy working at Waterstones in Trafalgar Square.**

**@UANUpdates Is Louis dating U of Westminster student Harry Styles?**

**@UANUpdates Source says Harry Styles is 20, deaf, and studies physiotherapy at uni. Interesting choice for Louis!**

**@UANUpdates Harry Styles runs from press outside store, answers no questions. A female companion ran with him. What is going on?**

Even though he felt like he was going to throw up, Harry couldn't help but be impressed with Louis' fan network. He and Perrie had only run from the press not more than ten minutes earlier. He shoved the phone back at Perrie.

 _What do I do?_ he asked helplessly. _I don't know what to do._

Perrie shrugged equally as helplessly. _I have absolutely no idea. Can you text Louis?_

Harry nodded and pulled his own mobile from his pocket and fired off a text to Louis. **Louis, you around?**

In his only stroke of luck since getting off work, he did not have to wait long before he got a reply. **Yeah, just on our way to lunch. How goes it? What's up?**

 **Someone took a picture of us on Saturday.** No point beating around the bush.

Louis' response was immediate and eloquent. **Shit!**

**Some of your fans figured out who I am and where I work. It's on Twitter, and the press found me after work.**

It was a good couple minutes before Louis texted again, during which time Harry grew more and more anxious. **I'm so sorry, H. I'm going to call my management to see what they can do. Is anyone with you?**

**Perrie.**

**Good.**

**Louis, what if they've found my flat? What if they find me at school? What if they come back to the store? I have another shift tomorrow.** Harry could do nothing to stop the rising panic filling his chest.

The panic must have shown on his face because Perrie reached over the table to touch his hand and get his attention. _It's okay, H. Between you, me, and Louis we'll figure this out._

Harry sucked in a deep breath and nodded, even though he wasn't sure he believed her.

When he looked back at his mobile, Louis had answered. **You don't have to talk to anyone. I'm going to see if management can get them to back off, but if they can't do that right away, you just ignore them. Do you think you can do that?**

Harry replied honestly. **I don't know.**

**I'm so so very sorry, Harry. I wish I was there to help.**

**I know.** And Harry did. He knew this mess was nothing Louis had conjured up, nor anything he would wish on Harry. He knew that he was burdening Louis with this when Louis was more than three thousand miles away and could do virtually nothing to help. He was going to have to figure this out himself.

**I'm going to call management, and I'll let you know what they say. OK?**

**OK.** It wasn't like he had a choice.

**Hang in there.**

**I'll try.**

There was nothing else from Louis. He summarised the text conversation for Perrie. _He's going to call his management to see if they can help._

_Good. Hopefully they can keep the press from harassing you._

Harry buried his face in his hands for a moment, still fighting the panic which was still trying to overtake his system. He pulled air deep into his lungs and forced himself to exhale slowly. After he'd done that a couple times, Perrie gently removed his hands so he could see her.

 _It's going to be okay._ Her smile attempted to be reassuring, but her eyes told him she was a little freaked out, too.

After one more round of deep breathing, he said, _I knew this was a possibility. I knew that we couldn't keep this a secret forever, but I hadn't imagined it would be like that. That was a little terrifying._

 _It really was,_ Perrie agreed, shuddering. _They were definitely…persistent._

 _I'm not sure I can deal with them every day._ The idea of having to deal with people shouting at him and trying to get his picture on a regular basis was even more horrifying now that he'd experienced it than it had been when it was just an abstract.

 _Well, maybe don't worry about that just yet. Let's see what Louis says later,_ Perrie suggested reasonably.

Harry nodded. _Okay._ He knew she was right. There was nothing he could do about the situation just then.

 _Let's get coffees, then I'll see you home, just to make sure they haven't found your flat._ Perrie clapped her hands authoritatively, then stood up and gestured for him to rise, too. _Come on._

Harry sighed, steeled himself, and stood.

 _Ready?_ Perrie raised her eyebrows.

_Ready as I'm ever going to be._

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fallout from the media circus....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so happy so many of you are enjoying and following the story. I love getting all the kudos and comments. Keep 'em coming (questions, too). Thanks for reading.
> 
> Next update: Saturday (Oct. 11)

Liam came back out of the restaurant when Louis didn't come in directly after him. "What's up, Lou?"

Louis was staring at his phone, rereading Harry's texts, and willing them to go away. They stayed stubbornly there, clear as day.

"Louis?"

Louis sighed and looked up to meet Liam's gaze. "Someone posted a photo of Harry and me to Twitter."

"Shit." It was somewhat gratifying that Liam's first reaction was identical to Louis'. "Does Harry know?"

"That's how I know," Louis told him regretfully. "He's kind of freaking out."

"I can imagine. I thought you guys were keeping things on the down low," Liam said.

"We were, but the night before we left to come down here, I met him at work, and we went out to dinner," Louis explained. "I didn't think anyone saw us. Not a pap in sight."

"I'll bet it was a fan," Liam surmised.

Louis looked back at the text conversation with Harry once more and sighed again. "Yeah, he said some fans figured out who he was."

"Those girls should work for the FBI," Liam noted wryly.

While he had his mobile up in front of him, Louis went to his Twitter feed and found his list that was exclusively update accounts. It did not take long to see the feed Harry was talking about. He turned the phone around so Liam could see.

"Damn. They know where he goes to school and everything." Liam offered a sympathetic smile.

"Of course they do."

"What are you going to do?" Liam asked.

"Call management," Louis replied. "Make my excuses, yeah? I'll be in in a few."

"Sure," Liam readily agreed. He clapped Louis on the shoulder. "Let me know if there's anything I can do."

Louis nodded as he scrolled through his contacts until he came to Richard Griffiths' personal number.

It rang just twice before Richard picked up. "Louis, my boy! How's it going?"

Louis wasted no time on pleasantries. "I have a situation."

"A situation?" Richard sounded confused. "Last I heard, things were going great down there."

"It is," Louis assured him. "This is about information about me that I just found out was leaked to Twitter."

"What kind of information?"

"A picture of a guy I'm seeing," Louis revealed. "And the fans have figured out exactly who he is. The paparazzi found him at his job today."

"Oh, that," Richard said breezily. Louis could actually picture him waving his hand carelessly. "Yes, we saw that."

"What? You knew?" In addition to horror, Louis could add rage to his list of current emotions.

"Yes, of course."

"Since when?" Louis asked as evenly as he could.

"Well, today is…Thursday, yes? The picture showed up Sunday, then. I'm surprised it took the fans and the paps this long to locate young…Harry, isn't it?" Richard questioned, acting as if this wasn't the most terrible turn of events.

"You've know this picture was up there since Sunday?" Louis asked, his voice betraying him and squeaking a little there at the end.

"Yes."

"And you did nothing to shut it down?"

"Of course not!" Richard exclaimed scornfully. "This is great exposure for you. You should have told us what was going on, Louis. We could have made sure to publicize it sooner."

Louis hauled in a deep breath. Richard Griffiths was lucky he was not standing directly in front of Louis, or Louis would have decked him. After another deep breath, he said in as firm a voice as he could muster, "My private life is not going to be used as publicity."

"Louis," Richard's tone was deeply patronising, "you're a famous singer who's dating someone who can't hear. You can't expect anyone to pass up such a great story."

"Harry is not a story," Louis countered hotly. "He is a person. And I may have signed on to be followed by the media and by fans, but he didn't. You need to get them to back off."

Louis could practically see the shrug. "Not sure we can unring that bell."

"So, you're not going to do anything," Louis confirmed his suspicion.

"I'm not sure what we can do," Richard said. "We can't make them unknow where he works or goes to school. At least I don't think they know where he lives."

"Yet," Louis tacked on ruefully.

"Look, Louis, he's a big boy, right? How old is he? Nineteen? Twenty?"

"You mean your spies haven't told you?" Louis shot back.

"He's just going to have to deal," Richard went on, impervious to Louis' wrath. "And you both should have known this would happen the minute you became something more than casual."

"Well, Richard, always a pleasure," Louis closed the conversation on the most sarcastic note he could muster. He ended the call before Richard had a chance to say anything else.

Louis shoved his mobile back into his pocket. He inhaled and exhaled a few more times before finally walking into the restaurant.

It was clear as he walked up to the table Liam, Zayn, Paul, and their three bodyguards occupied that he had not managed to rid himself of the stormy expression on his face, as Liam immediately said, "Uh oh? Not a good conversation?"

Louis threw himself into the seat that had been left for him between Paul and Zayn. "They knew."

Liam blinked rapidly. "They knew?"

Louis nodded. "Since Sunday."

"Are they gonna shut it down?" Liam asked.

Louis shook his head. "Nope. It's apparently awesome publicity."

"Well, fuck," Liam said. "What are you going to tell Harry?"

"There's nothing I can tell him other than to just deal with it the best he can," Louis lamented, and he was already trying to form the text in his head. He knew he couldn't leave Harry hanging for too long.

"Could you maybe tweet something to ask people to back off?" Zayn entered the fray with a suggestion.

Louis shrugged. "I don't know how much good it will do, but I can try. Thanks, Zaynie. Good idea."

He actually whipped out his mobile again to compose a tweet right that minute. On this, he did not want to waste time.

**@Louis_Tomlinson Heard everyone's discovered my new friend Harry.**

**@Louis_Tomlinson I'd like to respectfully ask that you give him some space until I get a chance to properly introduce him. Thanks!**

He pulled in a deep breath as he reread the tweets, hoping against hope they did the trick, and that the fans, at least, wouldn't give Harry too much trouble. He couldn't do anything about the paps other than hope that when Harry didn't give them anything--and Louis was undeniably certain that he wouldn't--they'd back off.

"All done?" Zayn asked, yanking him from his reverie.

Louis nodded. "Fingers crossed." He even held them up to demonstrate. Zayn and Liam returned the gesture with supportive smiles.

"Just need to text Harry back, then we can get on with lunch. Sorry about this, guys." Louis' apology was directed to the table at large.

"You gotta do what you gotta do," Liam assured him.

Louis opened his text conversation with Harry, his heart clenching as he read back through Harry's frantic texts. He added, **Talked to management. They can't help right now. :-( I tweeted, so the fans will hopefully back off, but I can't promise anything.**

He waited a moment to see if he would get a response. When he didn't, he assumed Harry was still making his way home, so he continued, knowing Harry would see the texts when he got to his flat. **You don't have to say anything to the press. You can just ignore them. With any luck, they'll get bored when they don't get any information from you.**

He paused for another short break. **I'm really sorry about this. Hang in there as best you can, and when I get home, we'll sort it out. xxx**

There was nothing else he could say. He left the phone right by his fork, in easy view in case Harry replied, then took the menu Zayn passed to him.

The whole rest of the day, it was a struggle to focus on being where he was, when all he wanted was to be where Harry was, protecting him, and protecting what they were just beginning to have.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

The press didn't find out where Harry lived. It was a small comfort. There were always a few paps outside Waterstones and outside the building where he attended most of his lectures now, and not a day went by when some reporter didn't attempt to get Harry to answer questions about the nature of his relationship with Louis. Harry just ignored them, per Louis' instructions, though they seemed loath to give up.

The fans were a little stealthier. Perrie had shown him the tweets Louis had sent, and while there were no doubt some girls who were happy to abide by Louis' wishes, others were apparently overcome with curiosity. Several times a day, he would catch a fan, sometimes a small group of fans, watching him at work, and he had started to feel like he was being watched every minute at school. It was unnerving. He didn't even know how Louis dealt with it on a regular basis.

Perrie was his saviour. He was, in fact, going to put her up for sainthood as soon as he found out how. She ran interference for him at work, and she had taken to walking him to class and meeting him after class as often as her schedule would allow it. He was not really hip to the whole social media thing, but Perrie was a pro. She kept him updated on everything the press and the fans were saying.

Niall took up the slack when Perrie wasn't free, keeping Harry company whenever he could to keep Harry's mind off Louis' absence and the media circus. He would, perhaps, have to sign Niall up for that sainthood thing, too.

Louis checked in when he could, but Harry knew he was busy with tour stuff, and Harry tried his best to assure him he was dealing with the media and the fans as best he could. Louis continued to promise that the minute he was back in London he was going to try to make things better, and Harry continued to hope that Louis could.

Harry was careful after work or after class to bolt to the Tube as quickly as he could, checking to make sure no one appeared to be following him. By the time nine days had passed since the first tweets had appeared, he was getting used to all the manoeuvring that had to be done to evade the hungry information gatherers, and Louis was due home in just two days. Harry was beginning to believe he'd make it through them relatively unscathed.

Saturdays meant a full shift at the bookstore. Perrie was already in the break room when he arrived ten minutes before his shift. There had been three or four paps outside the store, but he'd managed to ignore them with what felt like panache. He was, in fact, about to brag to Perrie about this accomplishment when he took in her pale face as she regarded something on her mobile.

She looked up at him when he sat down next to her on the ratty brown sofa. _What's wrong?_ he asked worriedly.

It looked for a moment like she was warring with herself about whether or not to show him, then she handed over the phone.

**Louis Tomlinson's Latest Fling: What's the Story? **

**For two weeks now, the internet has been abuzz with the news that Louis Tomlinson has a new, mysterious squeeze.**

**For those of you not in the loop (and where the heck have you been?), this is what we know so far: Right before leaving to head out with Up All Night for their first tour in South America, Louis was snapped in a photo hand in hand with a young man who's believed to be his new beau.**

**Up All Nighters are known for their quick detective work, and it wasn't long before Louis' date was outed as Harry Styles, a twenty-year old physiotherapy student at the University of Westminster.**

**We all know that Louis loves them young and pretty, and Harry is no exception. It's easy to see why LT would fall for Harry's chocolate brown curls and sharp green eyes.**

**But dig just a tiny bit deeper, and that's where things get complicated. For while on the surface, Harry Styles would seem to be just Louis' thing--tall, dark, and handsome--there's one thing that separates Harry from Louis' other paramours: he was born deaf.**

**Sweet, sweet irony rarely shows itself this clearly. Louis Tomlinson, he of the dulcet, smooth tones that ground Up All Night's harmonies, is apparently dating a young man who cannot hear his voice.**

**By all accounts, Harry communicates almost exclusively through sign language. It is difficult to imagine how the two young men converse with each other. It certainly can't be easy; differences in language can prove an insurmountable dilemma for a couple. It's also hard to imagine how Louis' ego will handle prolonged exposure to someone who can neither appreciate his singing talent nor understand his job.**

**Is this really a relationship that can stand the test of time? Is Harry really a good fit for Louis? Can he withstand the public scrutiny which inevitably envelops anyone involved with a celebrity? Can they overcome the huge obstacles presented by Harry's disability? Could this actually end up being a publicity stunt aimed to garner the boys more exposure at the beginning of their third world tour? (If it is, shame on both Louis and Up All Night's management for stooping so low.)**

**Keep your eyes on this space. Up All Night returns to London in just a few days for a break before they begin the next leg of their tour. No doubt we'll be treated to more sightings of the new couple. Question is, how long can it really last before Louis is off to, perhaps, greener pastures…?**

Harry literally felt sick to his stomach. He passed the phone back to Perrie as if it were burning him, and she threw it to the side to wrap him in a hug, squeezing him tight. To his horror, he felt tears spilling from his eyes, soaking her t-shirt where his face was buried in her shoulder.

When he was all cried out, he lifted his head and immediately pointed to the wet spot on her shirt. _I'm sorry._

She shook her head, smiling sadly. _It's okay._

He didn't say anything again right away, compiling his scattered thoughts wasn't easy. Finally, though, he said, _What should I do? What if they're right?_

_They're arseholes. They don't know you, and they are seriously underestimating Louis. He really likes you, doesn't he?_

Harry shrugged. _I thought so. What if this actually is some big publicity thing?_

Perrie shook her head. _I really don't think it is. He's learned sign language, spent all that private time with you, he slept with you. Those aren't things he'd do just for a publicity stunt._

 _I guess not,_ Harry allowed. _Then why did you show the article to me?_

_So you'd see what you're up against. Knowledge is power._

Harry swiped at his eyes, well aware that he had to get to work at some point. Perrie, too.

 _Louis' coming home soon, right?_ Perrie asked.

Harry nodded. _Monday._

_He said he'd take care of this, right?_

_I don't know what he can do. It's not like he can unpublish that article,_ Harry said bitterly.

 _He can let people know it's not a publicity stunt, though. And he can tell people how he really feels about you,_ Perrie pointed out.

Harry nodded, though he wasn't at all convinced that Louis would be able to change people's perceptions and keep them from thinking of him as a poor little deaf boy.

Perrie stood abruptly. _Come on, it's time to go to work. Try to forget the article. They don't know what they're talking about. When Louis gets back, things will get better. It's just a couple of days._

A couple days still felt like an incredibly long time away, but Harry nodded anyway and allowed himself to be pulled up by the hand. There wasn't anything he could do about the article anyway. All he could do was tend to his business and try to prove them wrong.

 _Okay?_ Perrie asked before grabbing to break room door handle.

 _Okay._ Or as close to it as he was going to get.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Louis was thrumming with energy as he stepped off the plane and into the jetway at Heathrow. It was early morning in London, since he had insisted on leaving as soon as their last show was over the night before in Sao Paulo.

He bid a hasty goodbye to Liam and Zayn--he'd see them again soon enough--then jumped into the car awaiting him. He wanted to get home and get in a quick shower and a short nap before he was due to reunite with Harry. Harry had a morning lecture, but no afternoon one and no afternoon work shift, so he had promised to come to Louis' flat as soon as his morning lecture was done. Louis wanted to be ready for him.

Washing under his own, carefully chosen shower head was blissful, as was slipping in between the sheets of his bed clad only in a pair of boxers. He set an alarm for thirty minutes before Harry was due, then passed out cold.

When the alarm echoed throughout the room, Louis did not linger in bed. He shed his covers and found some skinny jeans and a football jersey he'd acquired in South America, then retired to his living room to await Harry's arrival.

It was about fifteen minutes past when Louis had been expecting Harry when the doorman buzzed the intercom to let him know he had a visitor. Louis opened the door and fixed his gaze down the hallway where the lift was. When it dinged and deposited Harry onto the floor, a wide grin broke out on Louis' face.

Harry was a little subdued when Louis gathered him into his arms for a fierce hug before pushing him back away just far enough that they could kiss. Louis kept the kiss suitable for the hallway, then pulled Harry back inside his flat so they could keep the rest of their reunion more private.

When he saw the look on Harry's face, though, he decided he might need to hold off on more amorous activities. While Harry wore a smile--he was clearly happy to see Louis again--that smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Louis offered him a warm smile. _"Hi."_

 _Hi,_ Harry returned.

 _"You want something to drink?"_ Louis asked.

_Sure. Tea?_

_"One cup of tea coming up,"_ Louis told him. _"Go sit down, and I'll be right there."_

As quickly as he could, Louis heated water in a kettle, then carried two cups of steaming hot tea out to the living room, setting one in front of Harry and the other one next to it for himself.

Harry had been checking his phone when Louis walked in with their drinks, but he placed it on the table once he had tea, and raised the cup for a sip before turning his attention to Louis.

 _Hi,_ Harry said.

 _"I think we covered that already,"_ Louis returned with a smile. He sighed happily. _"I missed you so much."_

Harry offered him a small smile back. _I missed you, too._

As Louis watched, Harry's smile wavered just a little, and Louis' heart clenched just a little. _"It's been a long two weeks, hasn't it?"_

Harry sighed, admitting, _It has been._

Louis reached out to squeeze Harry's knee before removing his hand to say, _"I'm so sorry. I knew they would find out about us sooner or later. I was kind of hoping for later. How bad has it been?"_

Harry quirked his lips and shrugged. _They haven't found where my flat is, but they're at work and school every day._

It was Louis' turn to sigh. _"Just the paps or fans, too?"_

_Hard to tell the difference sometimes. Perrie chases people away on the regular, but I don't know if they're the media or fans._

_"I was hoping my tweets would help a little."_

_Perrie showed them to me. Thanks. They may have helped. Who knows?_

_"You need to get Twitter,”_ Louis chided.

Harry offered a small smile at that. _I know._

Louis studied Harry's face with an intensity that made Harry visibly squirm. _"It's more than just the paps,"_ he finally guessed.

As he often did when he was going to say something either long-winded or complicated--sometimes both--Harry reached for his mobile. Louis stopped him, stilling Harry's hand before it could grasp his phone. _"No, you can sign. Try me."_

Harry regarded him dubiously. _Really?_

Louis could fill him in later on the details, but gave Harry the short version just then. _"I've been practising."_

 _Okay._ Harry hauled in a deep breath, then blew it out. _T_ _here was an article._

There were so many articles. Louis had stopped reading them, literally, years ago. Most of them were complete and utter bullshit. He shook his head. " _What article?"_

 _It was about you and me,_ Harry explained. Louis knew Harry was still keeping his signs simple in deference to Louis' inexperience. _Here…._ He grabbed his phone only long enough to open something before handing it to Louis.

As Louis read the short piece, he had to fight waves of anger. How dare they scrutinise his and Harry's relationship? How dare they make insinuations? They didn't know him--or Harry. But as he returned Harry's mobile to the table with perhaps a little more vigor than was necessary, he reminded himself that this was par for the course and was really not any different than the thousands of other things the press had printed about him and his bandmates.

When he looked back up into Harry's eyes, though, he knew that though he was inured to the kinds of things the media were wont to say, Harry wasn't.

 _Is this a publicity stunt?_ Harry asked bluntly, eyes lowering just a little after he asked, though he would just have to lift them again if he intended to get Louis' response.

Louis immediately put a hand on each of Harry's cheeks to ensure he had Harry's full, undivided attention. Then he shook his head as firmly as he could. "Absolutely, positively not," he added, speaking as clearly as he could. "Got it?"

Harry nodded, and if Louis didn't miss his guess, there were tears in the corner of Harry's eyes. Louis used his thumbs to catch them and brush them away.

 _Sorry,_ Harry said.

Louis shook his head again and removed his hands from Harry's face. _"I would never do that to you. I promise."_

Harry nodded, then pulled in a deep breath before going on to ask, _What about the rest of it? They're not wrong…. I won't ever be able to hear you sing. Does that bother you?_

Louis took time to carefully consider his words, knowing they were important. _"I would be lying if I said I wasn't sad that you can't hear. I can't imagine a world without sound, without music."_

Louis watched Harry's Adam's apple slide up and down as he swallowed anxiously. When Harry lifted his hands to say something, Louis shook his head. _"Let me finish."_

Harry dipped his chin in assent.

 _"Getting to know you has been the most amazing experience of my life. You're extraordinary. You see the world in a completely different way. Not better or worse, just different. And it doesn't bother me even a little that you can't hear. I just feel incredibly lucky that you let me into your life."_ When he was done with his little speech, he held his breath and waited for Harry to react.

 _I feel lucky to have met you, too,_ Harry told him with a smile. _You were very…unexpected._

Louis felt his heart drop into his stomach. _"I sense a 'but' at the end of that sentence."_

Harry looked him, his eyes filled with sadness. _If it was just you…._ He paused for a moment before going on. _I just don't know if I can deal with everything that comes with you._

Louis wanted to scream with frustration. He'd worked hard to get where he was, and all the press and attention had come part and parcel with it. He'd long since come to terms with the fact that he would have to deal with that if he wanted to continue to perform as part of Up All Night. Now, though…. Now those things might be about to cost him one of the best things he'd ever found.

 _"I know it isn't easy, but once they get used to it--to you--it won't be so bad,"_ Louis attempted to insist.

 _You can't promise that they'll get used to me,_ Harry pointed out stubbornly.

Louis sighed. _"You're right, I can't. So, is this a deal breaker?"_ he inquired tentatively, not really sure he wanted to know the answer to that question.

Harry shrugged. _I don't know. I need time to think. To figure out whether or not I can handle all the…._

 _"Hoopla?"_ Louis finished for him, having to spell it out, since he hadn't learned that sign yet.

Harry nodded morosely.

 _"How much time?"_ Louis knew it was dumb to ask, but he did it anyway, bereft of anything else to say.

Harry shrugged again and stood from the sofa. He grabbed his mobile from the table and thrust it in the front pocket of his jeans. _I'm sorry. I'll be in touch._

Louis thought about trying to stop him, make him stay and talk, but he wasn't sure that wouldn't do more harm than good, so he simply nodded. _"Okay."_

Louis watched as Harry showed himself out, taking Louis' heart with him as he went.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys consult with friends and family. Will they be able to work through their issues?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It just astounds me the number of thoughtful comments you guys are leaving me. You are pointing out things and asking questions about things I never considered when I was writing! Thanks so much!
> 
> This is the shortest chapter of the lot. Never fear--last three are all longer than this.
> 
> Next Update: Tuesday (Oct. 14)

"I don't even know where we stand," Louis lamented.

He'd been home from South America for three days. It had been three days since his conversation with Harry. Three days since Harry had said anything to him in any way. No texts, no drop bys, no nothing.

He'd grown tired of the cycle of eat-nap-television-eat-nap-television routine he'd developed since Harry had left, so on the third day, when he woke up at noon, he called Liam and Zayn and asked them if they wanted to come over and play FIFA with him. When he promised beer and pizza, too, they rushed right over.

It hadn't taken long for it to turn into a therapy session.

"Well, what did he say when you talked?" Liam wanted to know.

Louis sighed and took a fortifying sip of his beer. "He's just really overwhelmed by the whole media thing."

"That's a tough one," Liam sympathised.

"He found one article that made it sound like my relationship with him might be a publicity stunt," Louis went on to tell them.

"Yikes," Zayn commented. "You told him that wasn't true, right?"

"Of course," Louis assured him. "And I'm pretty sure he believed me."

"The press can be such arses," Liam said, chugging down some of his own beer. "Some of the crap they've written about Sophia…." He shook his head and drank some more.

"The article said some pretty hideous things about him being deaf, too, and whether or not I would be able to be with someone deaf long-term," Louis added. "He was worried it might bother me that he can't hear. Specifically, that he can't hear me sing."

"What did you tell him?" Liam inquired.

Louis shrugged. "That it doesn't. Because it really doesn't. I mean, I wish he could, but it is what it is, yeah?"

"So, how did you leave things?" Zayn asked. "You guys didn't break up, did you?"

"I don't think so," Louis replied. "He said he needed some time to think. But it's been three days, and I haven't heard a word from him." He knew he was whining, but he couldn't help it. He missed Harry, and he didn't know what to do. "Should I text him? Go find him?"

Zayn and Liam both shook their heads quite firmly. Liam added, "No, you need to give him the time he asked for."

"What if he decides he can't cope with it?" Louis voiced what it all boiled down to--the horror scenario that had been running through his head for seventy-two hours plus.

"Then you try to convince him he can," Liam said sagely. "He's just freaked out. I mean, it's a lot to take when you can hear, when you know what they're saying. I can't even imagine how scary it would be to be surrounded by people shouting at you and having literally no idea what they want."

"He would get used to it," Zayn tried to reason. "Sophia did, right, Li?"

Liam nodded. "It took a while, but yeah. And they got sick of following her around, too, when she didn't give them anything."

The boys all drank in silence for a moment, giving Louis time to process the things Liam and Zayn were trying to say.

Zayn appraised Louis thoughtfully as he drained the last drop from his bottle, prompting Louis to defensively ask, "What?"

"You're in love with him," Zayn concluded.

Louis felt a blush rise from his neck right into his cheeks. There was no point in denying it, he supposed. "I am," he confirmed softly.

Liam reached over to rest a supportive hand on Louis' arm. "Then you'll figure it out."

"You really think we can?" Louis checked.

Liam nodded. "I was watching him at dinner the day of the run-through. I think you may not be alone in the love department. He may not quite have figured it out yet, but he was definitely giving you heart eyes."

"Heart eyes?" Louis repeated, surprised.

"Massive heart eyes," Zayn confirmed. "He's into you, mate."

"He'll be in touch with you as soon as he's had time to, you know, process all of this," Liam predicted. "You just need to try to be patient and be ready when he comes back."

"Thanks," Louis said sincerely. "And thanks for coming over to listen to me moan."

"Anytime, bro," Liam returned, lightly punching Louis' upper arm.

"Now…you have provided the beer," Zayn told Louis. "But you promised pizza and FIFA, too. Time to pony up, Lou."

So pony up Louis did.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

 _Okay, give it up,_ Gemma ordered. It was Saturday morning, and when Harry had found himself with a rare weekend day off, he'd asked Gemma if they could spend it together.

 _Give up what?_ Harry tried for innocence, offering her a sweet smile--the one he knew caused his dimples to pop.

He knew he'd failed when Gemma gave him her "bitch, please" face. _Come on. I can tell something's wrong._

Harry stalled for time by reaching for the tea Gemma had placed on the coffee table and taking a sip, hissing when he discovered it was hot enough to burn his tongue.

Gemma raised her eyebrows and said, _Serves you right for trying to put me off._

Harry sighed, _Okay, fine. I don't know what to do._

_Is this about Louis?_

Harry nodded.

_The paparazzi still hounding you?_

Nodding again, Harry told her, _They figured out my school schedule, so they're there all the time. They're at work a lot of the time, though my manager refused to give out my schedule, and Perrie's gotten really good at chasing them off. They still haven't found the flat, though they do keep trying to follow me._

 _I'm sorry, H._ Gemma picked up her own tea and sipped cautiously at it before setting the cup back down. _What did Louis say about it? He's back home now, right?_

 _He is._ He bit his bottom lip nervously. _I didn't really give him much of a chance to say anything about it._

Gemma closed her eyes and shook her head. Fixing him with an accusatory look, she asked, _What did you do?_

_I told him I didn't know if I can handle all this stuff that comes with him._

_It's that bad?_ Gemma questioned him, her look becoming more concerned.

Harry held up his finger, then pulled out his mobile to show his sister the article he'd shown Louis. He picked up his tea to drink while she read.

Gemma's reaction to the article was to thrust the phone back at him before saying in sharp, vehement signs, _That's all bullshit. You know it's all bullshit, right?_

 _I asked him if this was a publicity stunt,_ Harry admitted sheepishly.

 _You don't really think he'd do that, do you?_ Gemma asked, her face displaying her horror at the thought. _That certainly wasn't the impression I got when I met him. He really seemed into you._

_He said it wasn't, and I believe him._

_Then what is it? What's going on with the two of you?_

_I asked him for some time to think._

Gemma smiled sympathetically. _What's there to think about?_

Harry side-eyed her; he believed he'd already told her. _Whether or not I can deal with all this stuff that comes with him._

Gemma shook her head. _No. You can. You know you can. Sure, it will take some getting used to, but you can handle it. That can't be what this is about._

 _It is,_ he insisted.

 _Harry,_ Gemma put on as serious a face as he'd seen on her in ages, _do you like him?_

Harry bit his lip and nodded. _I do. I like him a lot._

It was her turn to side-eye him. _It's more than that._ She paused, but kept watching him carefully. Then he could practically see the light bulb appear over her head. _You're in love with him._

When he felt heat creeping up his cheeks, he knew there was no point in lying. _I think I am._

_Then what on Earth are you thinking about?_

Harry reached a hand up to run through his hair, then shrugged. _I don't know._ He picked up his tea again to nervously take a sip.

When he was done drinking, she looked him straight in the eye. _H, I know the whole media thing is scary. I can't even imagine being swarmed by people like that on a daily basis. Nor can I imagine reading an article like that about myself. I'll bet that wasn't even the only one._

 _It wasn't._ Harry had gone searching one day, Googling his own name. He had had to stop pretty much straight away, though. It was horrifying, the things the press made up. He now had a very healthy wariness about anything he saw in the news.

_And it would be safer and less scary to go back to the way things were, wouldn't it?_

Harry shrugged.

_But is that worth giving up Louis for?_

When Harry raised his hands to reply, Gemma pushed them back down and shook her head. _No. That's what you need to think about. So think about it._ She pointed to his cup. _Now, finish your tea. There's a new exhibit at the Tate, and you, my dear brother, are escorting me to it._

Harry raised his eyebrows. _I am?_

_You are. We're leaving in five minutes._

Harry was left with no choice but to follow orders.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Emboldened by the fan- and paparazzi-free trip with Gemma to the Tate Gallery the day before, when Niall suggested they go hang out at St. James' Park the next morning, Harry accepted. It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and studying outdoors was always so much more pleasant than studying in their tiny flat or in the campus library, as they'd done most of the winter. Besides, maybe it would take him mind off of Louis. God only knew he could use a distraction.

They each packed their books into backpacks, grabbed bottles of water from the fridge, and headed out to the park. It wasn't too far from their flat, and when the weather was fair--as it was that particular day--it was a very pleasant walk.

They had a favourite spot at the park, a little patch of grass situated right under an enormous tree. They spread out the blanket they'd brought and settled down to study.

Of course, they hadn't had their books open five minutes before Niall covered the page Harry was trying to read with his hand to get his attention.

Harry looked up, giving Niall an exasperated look. _What?_

_What's the deal with you and your boy? You haven't been spending time with him lately. Isn't he home right now?_

Harry sighed. _I'm taking time to think._

Niall's face adopted an almost comical puzzled look. _What are you thinking about? How hot he is? How much he likes you? What's there to think about?_

Harry quelled him with narrowed eyes.

Niall's mouth formed an "o." _Is it about the media thing? All the paparazzi and fans?_

Harry was just about to answer when he became aware of two girls standing right at the edge of their blanket. _Damn it, Niall. Did you have to conjure some of them up?_

As Niall looked up to see what Harry was talking about, Harry appraised the two interlopers. They were both young, maybe fifteen or sixteen, one with long, dark hair, and one with shorter, lighter hair. Only instead of the predatory look he'd come to expect from the fans who had begun to approach him, these girls looked a little chagrined.

 _We're so sorry to interrupt,_ the dark-haired one signed. Harry couldn't have been more surprised if the girls had sprouted wings.

 _It's okay,_ Harry returned. _I thought you were someone else. Can we help you?_

 _Are you Harry Styles?_ the blonde girl nervously asked.

 _Yes._ Now Harry was confused. He rose to get a better look at the girls, wondering if they were friends of Gemma's, but the closer view didn't make them seem any more familiar. _Do I know you?_ In his peripheral vision, he saw Niall standing, presumably to offer Harry aid if necessary.

The girls both shook their heads. The brunette explained, _I'm Mollie, and this is Nicola. We're big Up All Night fans._

Niall shot Harry a look of cocky surprise which Harry steadfastly ignored in favour of checking, _You are?_ This, at least, explained why they'd recognised him.

The girls nodded in unison, big smiles on both their faces. Nicola offered, _They're amazing. Their music is awesome._

Harry nodded in agreement. _They are, and it is._ He tried to surreptitiously check their ears for hearing aids, but both girls wore their hair down, so he just went ahead and asked, _Are you girls deaf or do you just know how to sign?_

 _We're both deaf,_ Nicola replied.

Mollie visibly steeled her shoulders before inquiring, _Are you really dating Louis?_

Well, that was a loaded question. Harry didn't reply instantly, taking a brief moment to consider his options. Finally, figuring that it would cause the fewest ripples, he answered, _Yes. I am._

The girls' smiles were even wider now, and they looked at each other with eyes crinkled with joy. Mollie said, _We were hoping that the stories on the internet were true._

_You were?_

The girls both nodded again. It was Nicola who went on, _It gave us hope._

 _Hope?_ Harry couldn't quite believe how confusing this entire encounter was.

Nicola nodded. _If Louis Tomlinson, one of the cutest, sweetest guys in the whole world, chose someone deaf to date, maybe we'll get lucky enough to find someone like that, too._

Harry was totally and utterly floored. It had never occurred to him that he might actually become any kind of role model. When he glanced over at Niall, his best friend looked about as flabbergasted as Harry felt. Harry grinned at the girls. _You girls both seem lovely. I am sure you are going to have no problems finding cute, sweet guys of your own._

Mollie and Nicola both giggled. Nicola then asked, _Can we get a picture with you?_

This was a first. Harry nodded. _Sure._

Nicola turned to Niall. _Will you?_

Beaming, Niall nodded, already holding his hand out to take someone's mobile. Nicola handed him hers.

Harry stood between the two girls, putting an arm around each of their shoulders, then they all looked in Niall's direction and smiled when he cued them. Then they repeated the procedure with Mollie's phone.

When they were done, Mollie said, _Thank you so much for letting us interrupt you._

 _No problem,_ Harry assured her.

 _It was so great to meet you,_ Nicola added. _Good luck with Louis._

 _Thanks._ And with happy waves, the girls went on their way.

As soon as the fans were out of sight, Harry dove for his books and began to stuff them back into his pack. Niall stopped him mid-stuff to wonder, _What are you doing? Aren't we studying?_

Harry smiled apologetically. _I'm sorry. I have to go._

 _Go?_ Niall was clearly confused. _Where do you have to go? I thought you didn't have a shift until later._

 _I don't. I need to go talk to Louis,_ Harry admitted sheepishly.

Niall's look of confusion was chased away by a smirk. _Done thinking, are you?_

Harry shrugged. _Maybe._

Niall picked up the books of Harry's left on the blanket and pushed them into Harry's bag for him. _Go get him._

With a smile, Harry said, _Thanks. Sorry for ditching you._

 _You cramp my style anyway. The girls sense the gay and stay away._ Niall teased. _Maybe once you leave I'll get some action._

Harry rose and shouldered his bag. _Good luck, then. See you later._

Niall nodded, then pointed off toward the park exit. _Get going, loverboy._

Harry wasted no time in heading for the closest Tube stop and making his way to Louis' flat.

When Harry got to Louis' building, the doorman recognised him and kindly let him in, telling him to just go on up to Louis', but when Harry tried both ringing the bell and knocking, Louis did not come to the door. Harry reluctantly came to the conclusion that either Louis had lost his hearing, too, or, more likely, was not home.

Harry didn't want to give up so easily, though. His shift at Waterstones wasn't until three in the afternoon. He had plenty of time. Thus decided, he shrugged his pack off and let his back slide down the door, settling himself on Louis' doormat. He would just wait for Louis to get home, and they would sort this all out, once and for all.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can the boys work out their differences?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is really hard for me to keep thinking of ways to thank everyone for their support of this story! I really appreciate all the support in the form of comments and kudos. You have no idea....
> 
> Next update: Friday (Oct. 17)

Louis was busy juggling Tesco bags as he got off the lift, so he didn't see the body sleeping in front of his door right away. It was as he was trying to angle his hand to remove the keys from his pocket that he spotted him: Harry laying on his welcome mat, backpack under his head, passed out cold. Louis had no choice but to smile.

He set the bags down on the floor to crouch down right in front of Harry and reach a hand out to shake his shoulder, biting back the useless urge to call Harry's name to wake him.

Harry woke slowly at first, then as he realised where he was, he shot up to a seated position, hastily rubbing at his eyes. _Louis!_ Louis loved the name sign Harry had given him, a fingerspelled "l" followed by an index finger swung back and forth like a baton directing music. _I didn't mean to fall asleep. Sorry._

_"The doorman let you in?"_

Harry nodded. _I think he likes me._

Louis smiled widely at the assessment. _"Come on. Help me with the groceries."_

 _Sure._ Harry jumped up, slung his backpack on, then grabbed a few of the bags Louis had set down.

Louis collected the remaining bags before leading the way inside his flat. Harry followed him to the kitchen, where he aided Louis in putting everything away. He'd spent enough time in Louis' kitchen to know where things were kept.

When the last bag was empty and stowed in the recycling bin, Louis turned to Harry with a smile. " _I'm glad you came by. I missed you."_

Harry smiled back. _I missed you, too. And I wanted to talk._

Louis nodded. _"We can sit in the lounge. Do you want something to drink?"_

_Water? I have work later._

Louis opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water, handing one over to Harry before gesturing to Harry to go ahead into the lounge.

Once they were both settled on the sofa, Harry opened the conversation with a question. _Mobile or no mobile?_

 _"No mobile,"_ Louis replied. _"I'm good with signing."_

Harry went on. _I'm sorry I left so quickly the day you got home._

Louis shook his head. _"It's okay. I know the media is a lot to deal with."_

 _My sister told me that wasn’t exactly what I should be thinking about,_ Harry told him.

_"What did she say you should be thinking about?"_

_Whether or not going back to a media-free life was worth giving you up._ He had to repeat himself off Louis' confused look, but Louis got it the second time, nodding to show he understood.

Louis hauled in a deep breath before asking, _"What did you tell her?"_

 _She didn't let me tell her anything. She made me take her to an art exhibit,_ he said wryly.

Louis chuckled. _"Harsh."_

In what felt like a total non-sequitur, Harry said, _Niall and I went to the park this morning to study._

The change in topic threw Louis just a little, but he offered, _"Oh?"_

_We were interrupted by a couple of your fans. We hadn't even been there fifteen minutes._

Louis hissed in sympathy. _"I'm sorry."_

Harry shook his head. _You shouldn't be. These girls really love you guys._

Louis smiled. At least these fans hadn't done anything to freak Harry out more than he already was. _"We do have some great fans. They've been amazing ever since we were on **The X-Factor**."_

 _They were deaf,_ Harry revealed, his face clearly letting Louis know this was a pivotal juncture in his tale.

 _"Really?"_ Louis was surprised. This was new.

Harry nodded. _I didn't even realise they were fans at first because they were signing._

_"That's amazing. I've never met any fans who were deaf before."_

_I don't count?_ Harry pouted playfully.

Louis grinned. _"Of course you do. My favourite deaf fan."_

Harry grinned back before continuing, _They recognised me. They asked me if I was really dating you._

_"What did you tell them?"_

Soberly, Harry answered, _I told them yes._ His eyes asked Louis whether or not this was okay.

Louis nodded, smiling softly, his stomach filling with butterflies when Harry returned the smile.

_They were really excited that you were dating someone deaf._

The butterflies coalesced into a stone and sank to the bottom of Louis' stomach. " _I didn't just ask you out just because you were deaf. It wasn't some kind of experiment."_

Harry shook his head. _No, I know, I know. They just said I gave them hope for finding someone as cute and sweet as you._

_"Cute and sweet? I sure have them fooled."_

_The whole thing made me realise that the positives of you and me outnumber the negatives,_ Harry explained. _I'm done thinking._

_"And what conclusion did you come to?"_

_That nothing is worth giving you up._

Louis couldn't help himself. He reached over, grabbed the lapels of Harry's shirt, and pulled him in for a kiss. A needy, hungry, passionate kiss which left both of them breathless and wanting more.

 _"What time do you have to go to work?"_ Louis wanted to know.

_My shift starts at three._

Louis checked the clock on his phone. _"It's just past noon. Plenty of time."_ He tilted his head in the direction of his bedroom. _"You in?"_

Harry nodded firmly. _Beat you there._

Suddenly all Louis could see of Harry was his retreating back. He grinned, pushed himself off the couch, and gave chase. There was no time to waste.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

He woke from his post-coital nap to the feeling of someone gently shaking his shoulder and an unfamiliar voice softly saying his name. "Louis?"

Confused, he blinked open his eyes to find Harry gazing down at him, his head propped up by pillows and one hand, his other hand on Louis' shoulder. He smiled when Louis opened his eyes, and removed his hand from Louis' body to sign, _Hi._

Louis shifted his body, freeing his hands. He wanted to just sign, unwilling to be the next one to speak. _Was that you saying my name?_

A fierce blush coloured Harry's cheeks, and he nodded shyly. _You weren't waking up just from me shaking you._

_Say it again?_

Harry worried his bottom lip with his teeth for a moment, then drew in a breath. "Louis."

Louis smiled widely. Harry's voice registered lower than Louis had imagined it, but it was clear and sweet, and Louis felt so honoured to be allowed to hear it. _"My name has never sounded more beautiful."_

Harry scrunched up his nose. _I doubt that._

 _"Cross my heart and hope to die."_ Louis reached up to pull Harry down to him for a kiss.

When they parted for breath, Harry said, _I have to be at work in an hour._

Louis executed what he felt was a perfect pouty face. _"You sure you can't skip it?"_

 _Not if I want to continue to pay my rent._ Harry levered himself into an upright position.

_"Come back when your shift is done?"_

Harry nodded. _That I can do._

Louis lifted his hands up in the air and shook them. Signed applause.

Harry squinted at him thoughtfully. _That reminds me. I keep forgetting to tell you. Your signing has gotten really, really good. You said you've been practising? You must have been practising a lot._

Louis squirmed a bit at the question before nodding. Confession time. He sat up so he could be eye to eye with Harry, buying himself a couple seconds, then explained, _"I may have hired a tutor."_

Eyes wide with surprise, Harry repeated, _A tutor?_

Louis nodded again. _"Her name is Kate, and she traveled down to South America with us so I could practise when I wasn't busy with the band."_

The look on Harry's face was that of someone who was completely overwhelmed, and if Louis wasn't mistaken, there were tears forming at the corners of Harry's eyes. He hoped to hell they were happy tears. _You did that for me?_

_"Of course. I hounded you to go out with me; it's only fair I learn your language. Kate said I was a very good student."_

Harry put a hand on each side of Louis' face and hauled him in for a fervent kiss.

When they parted this time, Louis asked once more, _"Are you sure you can't skip work?"_

Harry chuckled. _Can I borrow your shower?_

_"Tell you what, let me join you in the shower, then I'll drive you to work."_

Harry held a finger up to pursed lips to consider Louis' offer. _I can't be late,_ he warned Louis.

 _"I can be fast,"_ Louis promised.

With a decisive nod, Harry pushed back the duvet and reached for Louis' hand. "Let's go."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

They had to settle for quick handjobs in the shower, but they were washed and dressed and in Louis' car in record time. Louis didn't even have to speed to get Harry to work on time. Louis hadn't been kidding when he'd said he was fast.

As they waited at a stop light, Louis told Harry that he would like to park the car and walk Harry to the store.

 _You don't have to,_ Harry countered as Louis flipped his turn signal at the car park he clearly intended to use.

After stopping the car in the valet line, Louis insisted, _"I want to."_

_There could be paparazzi waiting._

Louis shrugged nonchalantly. _"I think I can handle it. I have had some practice. Besides, they aren't going away. We might as well have some fun with it."_

There was nothing more Harry could say. Besides, if he was honest, he kind of liked the idea of Louis escorting him to work.

As they left the car park, Louis grabbed Harry's hand, the way he had the night before he'd left for the first part of his tour. Just as he had, then, Louis met his gaze and asked, "Okay?"

Harry smiled and nodded. He looked down and decided he liked the way his and Louis' fingers looked laced together.

They only had to walk a few blocks to get to the store, and as soon as they got to the closest corner to Waterstones, Harry could see that there were a couple of photographers waiting for him, just like there had been every day since he'd first been identified. He still couldn't figure out how they knew when to come; perhaps one of his co-workers had traded information for money.

As they got closer still, Harry realised that he actually recognised at least one paparazzo. So sad. They hadn't yet seen him coming--they were too busy trading gossip and smoking--but that was only a matter of seconds.

Harry must have unconsciously tensed up when he spotted the paparazzi, because Louis dropped Harry's hand so he could say, _"It's okay. I've got this."_

Harry hauled in a deep, relaxing breath, then smiled and nodded.

Louis reclaimed Harry's hand and tugged him in the direction of the front entrance of his workplace. The minute the photographers spied the couple, they--almost as one--threw down their cigarette butts and lifted their cameras.

Harry watched Louis carefully to see what he would do. Louis just smiled at them. "Hi, lads," he greeted them, his face betraying no ill will.

The one Harry actually recognised was kind enough to ask, "Okay to take pictures?" At least that's what Harry thought he said. Very considerate of the guy, since his colleagues were already snapping photos.

Louis' nod reinforced Harry's conclusion. Louis dropped Harry's hand to speak and sign. _"I just want one favour before you take any."_

The guy nodded. "Sure."

Louis pulled out his mobile, activated the camera app, and handed it to the guy. _"Take one with mine first?"_

The guy chuckled.

Louis turned to Harry, gestured for him to smile, and placed a kiss on his cheek, holding the pose as the guy took the picture. When the guy handed the phone back, the new photo was still on the screen. Harry had the dopiest look on his face--he looked genuinely happy.

They posed for a couple minutes--Louis slinging his arm around Harry's shoulders, the two of them holding hands, and finally, one real on-the-mouth kiss--then Louis politely asked them to stop and go home. The photographers had gotten what they wanted, so they readily obliged, no doubt already mentally spending their paydays.

 _"Well, that's done,"_ Louis noted with a self-satisfied air. _"We will be all over the internet before the end of the day, I suspect."_

_And you're okay with that?_

Louis nodded. _"I just got photographed with the hottest guy in the world. I'm very okay with that."_

 _In the world?_ Harry questioned, grinning widely.

Louis nodded again with confidence. _"That's what I said."_ He leaned forward to offer a sweet kiss, not unlike that he'd offered in front of the paparazzi. _"The question is, are you okay with that?"_

Harry paused for a second to think, then with a small smile answered, _I think I might be._

As he gave Harry another round of signed applause, Louis beamed. After glancing down at his watch, he said, _"You should to get to work. It's just gone three."_

Harry reluctantly nodded. _I'll come to yours when I get off._

_"I will be counting the minutes."_

They shared one last chaste kiss before Harry hurried into the store.

He was immediately tasked with shelving books, which kept him occupied for a little while, and he didn't even have time to think about the implications of the little photo shoot he and Louis had just participated in.

Perrie yanked him into the break room two hours after he'd started his shift. Her face was a weird mix of bemusement, surprise, and horror.

 _What?_ Harry questioned her.

She said nothing, just handed him her mobile.

Her Twitter app was open. He'd become way more familiar with Twitter than he'd ever really wanted to be over the last couple weeks, so he knew that she had scrolled down to the beginning of whatever series of tweets she wanted him to see.

He found himself staring at Louis' Twitter feed.

**@Louis_Tomlinson As promised, I'd like to introduce everyone to Harry Styles.**

Accompanying this opening salvo was the photo Louis had asked Harry's friend the paparazzo to snap. He still thought he looked goofy, but it was a sweet photo, and Harry had no doubt Louis' fans would flip over it.

He looked up to Perrie. All she had to say was, _Keep reading._

**@Louis_Tomlinson As you can see, he is, without a doubt, the hottest man in the world.**

**@Louis_Tomlinson I am pleased to confirm that we are, in fact, seeing each other.**

**@Louis_Tomlinson Not only is he devastatingly handsome, he is sweet and kind, and I am the luckiest person in the world.**

**@Louis_Tomlinson We are very happy together, and I hope you all are happy for me.**

**@Louis_Tomlinson If you meet him out and about, just wave (that's hi in sign language). He might be willing to wave back. :-)**

Harry was completely, utterly floored. Louis had over seventeen million followers, and he had just told every single one of them that he was dating Harry.

He looked up and met Perrie's gaze, not even sure what to say. _I know, right?_ she said.

_He didn't tell me he was going to do that._

_How do you feel about it?_

Harry bit his bottom lip, trying to sort through his feelings. Finally, he told her, _I guess it's really not a publicity stunt._

Perrie punched him in the arm. _You dork. I think he really, really likes you. In fact, he just told the world that he really, really likes you._

_I guess it's good that I really, really like him, too._

Perrie grinned and threw her arms around him, squeezing him tight. When she let him go, she said, _I'm so happy for you._

Perrie looked up at the clock on the wall. _Shit. Time to get back to work._

_Thanks for showing me Louis' tweets._

_You're welcome. Next break, though, we're setting you up with your own Twitter account. It's time, babe._

Harry sighed. _I know._

Perrie shook her head. _I can't believe you're famous._

 _I am not famous,_ he begged to differ, standing from his seat on the sofa.

Perrie stood next to him and turned her mobile toward him and pointed to the statistic right under the picture of Louis kissing Harry. It had already been retweeted well over 1000 times and favourited double that amount. _It's been up less than two hours,_ she reminded him.

 _That's crazy._ Harry's mind was blown by the sheer size of it all. It would take a little getting used to, that was for sure.

One of their co-workers, an older woman named Jane, stuck her head in and said something to Perrie that Harry didn’t really get due to his head still spinning. Perrie nodded, though, and Jane backed out of the room.

 _They need me up on a register,_ she explained.

He nodded. _Go. Come find me in a couple hours for another break._

 _Twitter time,_ she reminded him with a grin.

 _Go!_ he repeated with a smirk before following her out of the room.

The rest of the day dragged. Harry just wanted to leave and get back to Louis and show him just how much his announcement meant to him. Harry could have texted, he supposed, but he didn't want to thank him so impersonally.

On their next break, Perrie was as good as her word, and she helped him set up a Twitter account, @Harry_Styles. The first person he followed was Louis, and he spent the rest of his shift surreptitiously rereading the tweets Louis had posted about him. It kept his heart nice and full while he worked.

As soon as his shift ended, he bid Perrie goodbye and thank you and rushed to the underground, for the first time in weeks not caring if anyone saw him and took his picture. He just wanted to get back to Louis.

The minute Louis opened the door, Harry threw his arms around him, squeezing tight. After a moment, he pulled away just long enough to get his lips on Louis', kissing him thoroughly.

When they were both breathless, Louis was able to drag Harry inside and close the door behind them. _"That was, maybe, the best greeting I have ever had."_

Harry grinned at him.

_"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for? Miss me that much?"_

_That was a thank you._

Louis shook his head. _"For what?"_

Harry drew his phone from his pocket and pulled up his brand new Twitter app, still open to Louis' feed, then turned the phone to show Louis.

"Ah." Louis smiled. _"You're okay with it?"_

 _Come with me, and I'll show you how much._ Harry took Louis' hand, tugging him in the direction of his bedroom.

Louis followed without a single second of hesitation.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Wembley was overwhelming. Harry was glad Louis had told him to bring as many people as he wanted to accompany him that night. Since Louis' family was going to be there, Harry had invited Gemma and his mum, then added Niall and Perrie for good measure. It was comforting to be surrounded by so many familiar people.

Louis had directed him to come to the back door and had assured him that his name--and those of all his guests--would be on a list. Louis was as good as his word. When Harry--through Gemma--gave his name to the burly security guy minding the stage door, the guy called someone on his walkie talkie, then welcomed Harry and let all of them in.

Once inside the building, they were met by someone who introduced herself as Jasmine. She was, apparently, a management rep doing double duty that night as guest wrangler; Harry thought he might recognise her from the book signing, but he couldn't be sure. She walked Harry and his entourage to a room down a long hallway which contained Louis and whoever he had invited to the show.

Jasmine rapped on the door when they arrived, and Louis himself opened the door. _"Harry! You made it."_

Harry smiled, nodded, and accepted a quick peck from Louis before turning to Jasmine and signing, _Thank you._

Louis interpreted for him, then said, _"Come on in."_ He pulled the door wide open to allow Harry and Harry's family and friends to all enter. Harry smiled as he watched Louis make a point of introducing himself to his mother and shaking her hand.

Harry took in the little group congregated around a sofa set in one corner of the room. There was an older woman who must have been Louis' mother and two teenage girls, along with two smaller girls, who could only have been Louis' sisters.

Louis grabbed his hand and dragged him right over to the little group in the corner. Harry's guests followed right behind.

 _"Harry, this is my mother, Johannah--Jay--and my sisters Lottie, Fizzy, Phoebe, and Daisy."_ Louis' fingerspelling was still a little slow, but he was accurate, and he made sure to point to each of his family members as he introduced them so Harry would be clear on who was who.

Harry shook each of their hands, though the little girls--twins, if Harry recalled correctly--were shy about it. Then he turned to Gemma to interpret for him when he said, _It's really nice to meet all of you._

Louis' mother returned, "Louis has told us so much about you. It's nice to finally put a face to all the wonderful things he said." It was clear she had been directed by Louis to look straight at Harry when she spoke to him. He was able to follow what she was saying even before Gemma signed it.

Harry blushed at the praise before scanning the room one more time. _Aren't there two others? Louis said he had five sisters and a brother._

Jay grinned. "The babies are at home with their dad tonight. He's bringing them down tomorrow."

 _Ah. I look forward to meeting them later, then._ With Gemma still speaking for him, he made his own introductions. _This is my mum, Anne, my sister Gemma, and my friends Niall and Perrie._ Each of them raised a hand when Harry said their name.

Louis smiled at all of them. _"It's good to see you again, Gemma. Niall. Perrie. And, of course, it really is especially great to meet you, Anne."_

Anne returned, _"It is truly lovely to finally meet you, too, Louis. I can't remember the last time I saw Harry so happy."_

Harry felt the heat in his cheeks intensify at his mum's words. _Mum. Please._

 _"Well, it's true,”_ she insisted.

 _"He makes me pretty happy, too,"_ Louis assured her, winking at Harry.

Louis changed the subject at this point. _"Jasmine has arranged for all of you to sit in the VIP section, and she's also employed an interpreter for Harry and Niall."_

Harry replied, _That's awesome. Thanks_.

Niall simultaneously said, _"Wicked. Thanks."_

 _"You'll hang out with us here until then, right?"_ Louis checked.

Harry nodded.

Fortuitously, Jasmine returned at that point with a security guy and a bunch of folding chairs. They set them all up around the sofa in such a way so that Harry and Niall would be easily able to follow the conversation. Gemma sat right across from them to continue interpreting when necessary.

Once seated, Anne turned to Louis to say, _"I listened to your albums all the way down from Cheshire. Very good stuff!"_

Louis coloured with pride at her words. _"Thank you. We're very proud of all our albums, especially our last one. Liam and I wrote a lot of the songs for that one."_

 _"Harry said you're working on your next one now?"_ she went on to ask.

Nodding, Louis said, _"Every chance we get. During our breaks, we're getting a lot of writing and recording done. The record company would like to put it out this fall."_

 _"That's so soon,"_ Anne commented.

 _"You're telling me,"_ Louis responded with a sigh.

 _"Your signing is very good, by the way,"_ Anne complimented him.

 _He got a tutor,_ Harry told her with a smile. He still couldn't quite get over the lengths Louis had gone to in order to be able to communicate with him properly. _Traveled all the way to South America with him._

 _"Fancy!"_ Anne exclaimed.

At that moment, one of the twins--Harry wasn't clear on which one--stood up from where she had been sitting on the sofa next to her clone. Looking shyly at Harry, her chin slightly dipped, she said something Harry didn't quite get, so he looked to his own sister with questioning eyes.

 _She's asking you if your ears are broken,_ Gemma told him.

Harry noticed that Jay was clearly telling whichever twin it was to sit back down, but Harry immediately said, _No, it's okay._ Then he checked, _Phoebe or Daisy?_

It was easy enough to read her lips when she replied, "Daisy."

Gemma got up and crouched between Harry and Louis' sister so that when he signed to Daisy, his "voice" wouldn't be coming from behind the little girl. _In a way, I guess they are. They don't work as well as yours do._

"Does it hurt?" she inquired next.

Harry shook his head. _No, not even a little._

"Can you talk?" Phoebe jumped up to add to the line of questioning, clearly not thrilled with her sister getting all of the attention from their brother's shiny new friend.

Harry nodded. _I prefer signing, though. It's the first language I knew._

Both of the girls opened their eyes wide at that revelation. "Really?" Phoebe asked.

Gemma told them, _"It was my first language, too. Really pretty, isn't it?"_

The twins nodded. Daisy inquired, "How do you say my name?"

"And mine!" Phoebe entreated.

While the rest of Louis' family looked on with interest, Gemma helped Harry show first Daisy, then Phoebe how to fingerspell their names. As kids often did, they picked up on the hand shapes quickly, and excitedly turned to show their mum.

Harry looked up at Louis to find a stupidly huge smile on his face. _What?_ Harry wanted to know what the grin was about.

 _"You. So sweet with my baby sisters,"_ Louis explained. _"Thank you."_

Harry shrugged as Gemma, Phoebe, and Daisy reclaimed their seats, the little girls practicing the signs they'd just been taught at each other. _They're cute._

 _"They're menaces,"_ Louis teased, reaching over Lottie to tickle Phoebe's side.

"So, Harry," Jay joined the conversation, "Louis told me you're studying physiotherapy?"

Harry nodded. He checked to make sure Gemma was tuned in before adding, _I can't quite decide what I want to do with it. I like the idea of sports therapy--maybe working with footballers--but I also think about working with older people._

She smiled in recognition of what he said. "From what Louis has said, I think you'd be good at either of those things."

Harry raised his eyebrows and looked pointedly at Louis. Louis just shrugged. _"It isn't wrong to brag about your boyfriend, is it?"_

It was the first time Louis had actually used the word "boyfriend" to describe Harry, and Harry blushed furiously as he repeated it. _Boyfriend?_ He quickly looked over to make sure Gemma was keeping this between him and Louis. Well, and Anne. While Anne tried to hide a smile, Gemma gave him a wink and a nod.

Louis nodded firmly. _That okay?_

Harry smiled and nodded back. _Very._

The moment hung between them for only a fraction of a second before Liam and Zayn unexpectedly appeared on the scene, greeting Harry and Niall warmly, giving hugs to Louis' family, and charmingly introducing themselves to Gemma and Anne. The only one left was Perrie, who stood there patiently awaiting her turn.

Harry didn't think Perrie had gotten to interact with Liam and Zayn at the book signing any more than he had, and that was confirmed for him when Liam walked over to say hello and welcome her.

She politely returned his greeting, but her eyes were fixed on Zayn, and Harry smirked as she nervously took Zayn's offered hand and gave him her name.

Zayn looked similarly shell-shocked, and Harry was suddenly intensely happy that he had invited Perrie along that evening.

As his and Louis' respective co-workers got lost in a conversation together, Liam turned to Harry and Niall to say, "I'm so glad you guys came tonight. You get to see the real thing and not just the rehearsal this time."

Niall grinned. _"Looking forward to it. Louis says we even have the VIP seats."_

"Only the best for our nearest and dearest," Liam assured him.

They all shared some more small talk until Jasmine reappeared a short time later to give Louis and Liam a ten minute warning. She also offered to show all of their guests to their seats.

As Harry stood to go, he looked to Louis. _Good luck, boyfriend._

A grin split Louis' face as he said, _Thanks, boyfriend._ He then snaked a hand up beneath the curls at the back of Harry's neck to pull him in for a kiss, seemingly unworried by the number of witnesses to the public display of affection. To be honest, Harry couldn't bring himself to care that much either.

Jasmine walked them out to a group of chairs which had been sectioned off right in front of the stage. She introduced Harry and Niall to a young woman called Samantha, who would be serving as their interpreter for the concert.

Harry sat right in between Niall and his mum, with Gemma and Perrie directly behind them. The energy in the house was incredible, and the screaming fans were loud enough that Harry could actually hear them.

Anne touched his knee to get his attention. With a smile she told him, _I like Louis a lot. He seems like a very sweet boy._

Harry smiled back at her. _He is._

 _He is clearly very taken with you. Very, very taken,_ she observed. When he raised his eyebrows questioningly at her statement, she explained, _He could not take his eyes off you the entire time we were in there._

Harry's smile returned. _Well, I'm pretty taken with him, too._

She smirked. _I could tell that, too._ She paused for just a moment before adding, _Just be careful, okay?_

He nodded and promised, _I will._ In matter of fact, though, Harry knew it was an empty promise. He had already given his heart to Louis, and there was no turning back now.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Louis go to Paris, Part 1 of 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so glad everyone seems to still be enjoying the story. Just one more part to go after this! Thanks so much for all the kudos and comments. Every single one means a lot to me! :-)
> 
> Next (and last) update: Monday (Oct. 20)

They arrived in Paris at noon. Up All Night's concert was not until the following evening, but Louis had plans for him and Harry until it was time for him to go to work.

First up was settling into the suite Louis (well, Louis' assistant, to get all technical about it) had reserved for them at an exclusive hotel right on the Seine. The minute they walked into the luxurious front room of the suite, Harry dropped the handle of his suitcase and turned in a tight circle to take it all in.

 _Are you serious?_ he asked Louis incredulously.

Louis nodded, beaming. _"All ours for two nights."_

 _Sweet._ He walked over to frame Louis' face with his hands and offer him a kiss.

Once they had thoroughly plundered each other's mouths, Louis pulled away far enough to be able to say, _"If we keep this up, we won't get to see any of the city."_

Harry grinned lasciviously. _I would be okay with that._ He reached for Louis again, their mouths crashing against each other possessively.

Louis lost himself in it for a moment, tasting a faint hint of the coffee and chocolate croissant Harry had eaten for breakfast on his lips. It was divine. But after a few moments, he pushed Harry away once more. _"As amazing as you are at kissing, I had a plan."_

_I'm amazing at kissing?_

Louis rolled his eyes. _"Yes. Yes, you are."_

Harry grinned triumphantly.

 _"Focus,"_ Louis ordered, trying to school his features into a stern look, though he wasn't sure he quite succeeded.

Harry could only offer mock seriousness, his eyes still twinkling. _Right. You have a plan. Go on._

 _"Thank you. I thought we could do some sightseeing this afternoon, maybe the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre."_ Absently, he hoped his spelling was good enough to get his meaning across.

Harry nodded, assuring Louis that he'd gotten it. _Sounds good._

_"Then I've made a reservation for dinner tonight."_

_That works for me, too,_ Harry said amiably.

 _"We can revisit this after dinner,"_ Louis stated, pointing between he and Harry meaningfully.

_I'm counting on it._

The couple stowed their suitcases on racks in the bedroom, then Louis suggested they don caps (a snapback for Louis, a beanie for Harry) and sunglasses before they headed out into the city.

If Louis had ordered the weather specially, he could not have produced a better day. There was not a single cloud in the bright blue sky, the temperature was warm, but not even a little humid, and a slight breeze made it perfectly comfortable to walk through the city streets.

Louis grabbed Harry's hand as soon as they got outside and led him to the Batobus stop not far from the hotel. Louis had done a little research and had decided it would be a lot more fun to take a boat down the Seine to the Eiffel Tower than to trek underground to the Metro.

 _A boat?_ Harry asked as they approached the ticket counter.

Louis nodded. _"Is that okay?"_

Harry smiled and nodded. _Very romantic._

Louis pursed his lips and tilted his head, pleased with himself.

After Louis purchased their tickets and they were waiting for a boat to arrive, Harry asked him, _Do you speak French?_

_"Enough to get by. What about you? Did you study any foreign languages at school?"_

_A little French. Enough to read it just a bit._

_"That must have been hard to learn."_ Louis commented.

Harry shrugged. _I guess._

Louis suspected his boyfriend was just being modest.

The boat pulled up then, and the boys climbed on, securing seats right in the front.

It was a relaxing ride up the river to the stop for the Eiffel Tower. They were able to enjoy the sights uninterrupted. Their caps and aviators acted as a fine disguise.

The same was not true of the Champ de Mars, the park surrounding the Eiffel Tower. As they were strolling down one of the paths in the direction of the famous tower, a pair of teenagers--one short, one tall--spotted them and shamelessly approached, giggling as they did so.

"Louis Tomlinson?" the girl on the right--the short one--asked cautiously. Her accent told him she was English.

Louis nodded. "Hi."

"So, this is Harry?" the same girl went on, gesturing toward Louis' companion.

Louis nodded one more time, and the girls waved to Harry, just like Louis had told them to in his tweet. Harry sweetly waved back and flashed them a smile.

"Can we have a picture?" the taller girl inquired, whipping her phone out of her pocket.

Harry released Louis' hand and reached his own hand out for the camera, pointing to himself to indicate he would take the picture. She happily handed over the phone, and she and her friend insinuated themselves on either side of Louis. Once Louis wrapped one arm around each girl, Harry gestured for them to smile before he snapped a couple pictures. He repeated this process when the short girl yanked out her mobile and handed it over.

As he handed the second phone back to its owner, she questioned, "Can I take a picture of the two of you?" She looked from Harry to Louis and back again with hope in her eyes.

 _She wants a picture of you and me together,_ Louis explained to Harry. _W_ _hat do you say?_

Harry shrugged easily and nodded. _Okay. Sure._

Louis tossed an arm around Harry's shoulder and pulled him in tight. Both girls had their phones out by this time, and they took a couple pictures each.

When they came up to share their gratitude, the tall girl turned to Louis to ask, "How do you say 'thank you' in sign language?"

Louis was touched by their thoughtfulness, and he showed them the sign, which they duplicated in Harry's direction.

If Louis had been pleased the girls thought to ask how to thank Harry, Harry was ten times as pleased. He grinned--dimples popping--and said, _You're welcome,_ which Louis dutifully interpreted for the fans.

The girls waved goodbye then, leaving Harry and Louis alone once again.

 _"That was okay, yeah?"_ Louis wanted to know.

Harry's smile was wide as he nodded. _They were cute. Are they always that calm?_

Louis shook his head vehemently. _"No! They're usually sweet, but they can get very...excited."_

_Do you ever get used to it?_

Louis shrugged. _"Kind of."_ After a beat, he said, _"So, the tower's there. Want to go up?"_

_Why not?_

The boys took the trip up to the top of the tower. The view was spectacular, and they took lots of pictures, including a couple selfies, to remember the day by. They were stopped by a few more fans, but none of the encounters were too much, reinforcing Louis' decision to not bring along any security. It felt like a real date, and he and Harry had not gotten to have many of those.

When they were done exploring the tower, they decided to make their way to see the Arc De Triomphe, then Notre Dame. By the time they'd taken in all the major Paris landmarks, it was closing in on time for their reservation.

Louis had done his research and found a restaurant called Laperouse. This centuries-old restaurant offered a private room so he and Harry could dine without interruption.

Once they were seated--and had ordered food and wine--Harry said, _Thanks for the amazing afternoon._

Louis smiled softly. _"You're welcome. I had fun, too. I don't always get to go out and see the sights when we're on tour."_

 _Your signing gets better every time I see you,_ Harry complimented with a grin.

_"Kate is a great teacher. Zayn and Liam complain that they never see me because I'm always with her."_

Harry smirked. _Should I be worried?_

Louis shook his head. Seriously and solemnly, he said, _"Not for a second."_

Harry's smirk melted into a warm smile.

 _"I need to write my management a thank you note,"_ Louis went on.

Harry crinkled his forehead in confusion at the non-sequitur. _Why?_

 _"They're the ones who arranged that book signing at Waterstones the day we met,"_ Louis explained. _"Best book signing ever."_

Harry grinned. _I can co-sign the letter. I remember when my boss told us what was happening that day. I was so unimpressed._

 _"Unimpressed?"_ Louis repeated. _"I am very impressive, so I don't even know what you were thinking."_

_If I had known just how impressive you are, I would have been way more excited about that event._

Louis got serious again to say, _"I want you to know that from here on out, I'm all in this."_

 _By 'this,' do you mean you and me?_ Harry clarified, eyebrows raised.

Louis nodded.

Harry smiled softly. _Me, too._

At this point, the waiter brought their appetizer, some escargot, and the boys joked with each other about eating snails, though they were delicious.

With their initial hunger sated, they could continue their conversation.

Putting down his fork, Harry asked, _So, where are we?_

Louis grinned mischievously. _"A restaurant in Paris, silly boy."_

Harry sighed, but his face held a smile when he reached across the table to playfully punch Louis' arm. _You are a nut._

_"But I'm your nut."_

Harry nodded happily.

 _"You mean where do we stand?"_ Louis returned to Harry's earlier inquiry.

Harry nodded again.

 _"We stand wherever we want."_ Louis took a sip of wine before going on. _"I don't want to rush anything. We can go at whatever speed we're ready for. I just wanted you to know that I see a future for us. I want a future for us."_

Harry appeared a little stunned by this declaration, and Louis was instantly worried that he had taken things too far too fast. He was just about to backpedal when a slow smile appeared on Harry's face. _I want that, too._

The waiter chose that moment to bring their food, so Louis waited until the waiter was gone to say, _"I'm so glad you feel the same way."_

_So, what next?_

Louis shrugged. _"First, we eat, because this looks amazing."_ He pointed to the lamb dish the waiter had set in front of him. _"Then, we can figure things out as we go. I'm kind of hoping that I can maybe talk you into joining me on the U.S. leg of the tour. What do you think?"_

Harry wasted no time before nodding enthusiastically, smile wide. _I would love that._

Louis grinned and executed a little sign language applause. _"I was even thinking Niall and Perrie might join for a little while, too."_

_That would be great. Niall would love being part of your entourage, and Perrie can't stop talking about Zayn._

Louis smirked. _"Zayn can't stop talking about her either. Maybe that book signing is responsible for two love matches."_

Harry giggled, then nodded sagely. _Maybe so._

 _"We should eat now, before it gets cold,"_ Louis suggested.

 _You're right, this does look amazing,_ Harry stated, looking down at his own plate of lamb. He looked back up at Louis with what could only be described as bedroom eyes. _But not as amazing as you are._

Then and there it became an effort for Louis to focus on his food and not on going ahead and using their private restaurant dining room for an activity it was not meant for.

It was a near miss, but he made it. Barely.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

The minute they entered the hotel room, Harry watched with great amusement as Louis hastily pulled his jacket off, flinging it toward the couch in the front part of the suite without ever taking his eyes off of Harry. When Louis was done, he pointed to Harry to indicate he should likewise shed his outer clothing. Harry very amenably pulled his own jacket off, pointedly picked Louis' jacket up from the floor, and laid them both on top of the couch.

Next thing Harry knew, he had Louis wrapped around him, and Louis' mouth was attacking his with a ferocity Harry wasn't quite expecting. Nonetheless, Harry threw himself into the kiss, reveling in the lingering taste of the espresso and crème brulee they'd had at the end of their romantic meal.

When they parted, panting, Louis took Harry's hand and guided him through the front room into the bedroom.

Once they came to the edge of the bed, Louis immediately began unbuttoning Harry's shirt. Harry took this as his cue to start unbuttoning Louis'. In no time at all, their shirts were pooled in a messy pile on the floor, and they made short work, then, of their trousers.

Harry expected Louis to divest him of his boxers next, but instead he found himself in another liplock with his amorous boyfriend. As their tongues thoroughly explored the depths of their mouths, Harry pivoted them so he could push Louis onto the bed as soon as they needed a breath.

Louis' mouth made the cutest little 'o' of surprise, but that was followed up with a huge grin as he crab-walked backwards until he was resting against the pillows at the head of the bed. Harry quickly clambered up on the bed and straddled Louis' thighs before leaning down to kiss him with increasing fervor.

After a moment, Harry removed his lips from Louis' to trail kisses down his neck to his collarbone, licking the length of it for good measure. Through the hand he had resting lightly on Louis' throat, he could tell that Louis was moaning shamelessly.

When Harry turned his attention to Louis' other collarbone, Louis used the opportunity to flip them over so Harry lay on the bed, Louis straddling his hips. While Harry met Louis' gaze with a wide grin, Louis said, _"You are so gorgeous."_

_You, too._

Louis reached a hand down to tug at Harry's boxers. Harry pushed Louis back enough that he could slither out of his pants. As Louis slipped out of his own boxers, Harry used the time to remove his hearing aids and throw them in the direction of the night table. He would've glanced over to check they'd landed right except that Louis' hand was suddenly on Harry's cock--and that wiped any concern for his hearing aids right from his mind.

Turned out that Louis' tongue was not just talented at singing. It was also amazing as it blazed a trail from the base of Harry's growing erection to the tip. Harry moaned low and deep in appreciation of this skill. When Louis sucked the tip of Harry's cock into his mouth, Harry involuntarily bucked his hips off the bed.

Louis sadly chose to leave Harry's member to aim higher, his gifted tongue circling first Harry's right nipple, then his left, taking an extra moment to suck determinedly on it.

While ministering to Harry's chest with his mouth, Louis snaked a finger down Harry's stomach, over his crotch, and right to Harry's entrance, teasing at the pucker with a feather-light touch. He lifted his head to meet Harry's gaze, and asked, "Okay?"

In the back of his mind, Harry wondered whether Louis had bothered to speak the word aloud or if he had just mouthed it--Harry couldn't always tell the difference--but regardless, Harry nodded firmly.

In an action which completely confused Harry, Louis removed his finger from Harry's arse to hold up his index finger in the universal gesture for one minute. Harry watched, then, as Louis scrambled off the bed and went to rummage in his suitcase with great haste. Mere seconds later, Louis returned to the bed holding the objects of his search--a tube of lubricant and a condom. Harry grinned and nodded his approval.

Louis opened the tube and spread a healthy amount of lube onto his index finger, then wasted no time in finding Harry's hole once more, this time venturing forth up to the first joint. He crooked his finger just a bit, then allowed Harry time to adjust to the intrusion.

It wasn't long before Harry wiggled his bum in such a way that he hoped made it abundantly clear to Louis that he was ready for more. He was rewarded when Louis pressed the rest of his finger inside, gently stroking Harry in his most intimate space. Harry forced himself to relax, and soon Louis added a second finger, scissoring his digits to open Harry up.

At just about the same moment Harry felt himself growing completely pliant under Louis' ministrations, Louis found Harry's prostate, sending a shockwave straight up Harry's spine, and he was pretty sure his reaction was audible, since Louis met his gaze, then gave Harry a cheeky, satisfied grin. The tingles still firing in his back ensured he wasn't even the least bit embarrassed about how he might have sounded to Louis.

Now he'd found Harry's sweet spot, Louis made sure to hit it on every pass, until Harry felt like he might explode from ecstacy.

Apparently Louis had decided Harry was prepared enough, and he withdrew his fingers, causing Harry to whimper. Louis caught his gaze yet again as he reached for the condom he'd flung to the side. "Ready?"

"Yes." Harry had never experienced his voice causing anyone beyond his family to smile, yet Louis' smile was big when Harry spoke, filling Harry with a warmth deeper than any he'd ever felt.

Harry snatched the foil packet from Louis and took great pleasure in rolling the condom he unpacked onto Louis' engorged cock before squeezing some lube into his hand and coating Louis liberally.

Once Louis was set, he situated himself between Harry's legs. Harry grabbed his knees and opened himself wide for Louis, who stuck his own knees under Harry's arse to lift it to the perfect angle for him to place the tip inside Harry's entrance. He sought out Harry's gaze one more time and raised his eyebrows in question. Harry dipped his chin in permission.

Louis pushed inside slowly, taking care--just as he had earlier--to give Harry ample time to adjust to the penetration. When Harry signaled so with another wiggle of his arse, Louis pulled out, then pushed back in. Over and over he repeated this action, increasing the speed of his thrusts each time.

Harry released his knees and wrapped his legs around Louis, drawing him even closer. This had the extra benefit of shifting Louis just enough that when he thrust in, the tip of his dick hit Harry's prostate, causing Harry to shudder under the intensity.

Harry's own cock was red and angry where it lay squeezed between Louis' stomach and Harry's own. Harry could not help but reach down to wrap his hand around himself in an attempt to ease some of the tension.

He felt Louis' left hand tighten on Harry's right shoulder to steady himself before he released his right hand from Harry's left shoulder. He then covered Harry's hand where it covered Harry's erection, matching him stroke for stroke.

His orgasm crept up on him without warning, his balls tightening before the pleasure shot through him like lightning, and he came in sharp spurts that coated his and Louis' hands and his and Louis' chests. Harry was barely aware of how tightly he was clenching his arse around Louis, but he was very aware of Louis stiffening over Harry as his own orgasm ripped through him. Louis' back arched as he continued to drive into Harry until he was spent.

Harry felt empty the second Louis pulled out, and he must have whimpered aloud because Louis surely set a record with how quickly he slipped out of the condom, tied it off, and tossed it into a nearby bin before gathering Harry into his arms.

They lay contentedly, Harry's hand resting on Louis' chest, reveling in the steady rise and fall as he breathed, and Louis' index finger tracing lazy patterns on Harry's arm.

At first, Harry thought the patterns were just random, Louis' fingertip lightly moving up, down, and across Harry's arm. He soon realised, however, that he was wrong. Louis' finger was tracing letters.

When Harry made the connection, he shifted his head so he could look Louis straight in the eye. Louis smiled softly and lifted his finger up long enough to indicate he was starting over. Harry paid close attention this time so he could catch all the letters. _I-l-o-v-e-y-o-u._

Harry was not even a little ashamed of the tears he felt pooling in his eyes. He smiled at Louis right through them. "I love you, too."

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paris, Part 2 & A Big Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My genuine thanks to all of you who have followed, commented, and kudo'd this story. I have been overwhelmed by the passion many of you feel for this story.
> 
> Several people have mentioned wanting some sort of sequel/epilogue, and while I originally had nothing planned, I am willing to take suggestions, and if something strikes me, and I think I can write it, I will.
> 
> I am currently working on a challenge story for a winter exchange and a story for 1D Big Bang, so it may be a little while before I am able to post something new, but I have many, many story ideas, so there will be more 1D fic from me for sure. Just keep an eye out....
> 
> Thanks so much for all the support. It means the world to me.
> 
> Enjoy the final chapter....

Harry shadowed Louis the next day, and it gave him a tiny taste of what life in a famous boy band was like. They had most of the morning free (and used it for room service breakfast and some steamy shower sex), but after that there were a couple of interviews with the press, a quick lunch in a back room at the Stade de France, the venue for the concert, then the soundcheck.

Harry got to meet the boys in the opening band, 5 Seconds of Summer; they all seemed like fun lads, and they told Harry they'd heard a lot about him, and they assured him they had been good things.

During the soundcheck, Harry hung out on the floor of the arena, watching Zayn, Liam, and Louis as they went through their pre-show paces. And just as Harry kept his eyes mostly focused on Louis, Louis made it a point to continually check in with Harry to make sure he was okay.

When the soundcheck was done, one of the crew members produced a football, and Harry joined Louis, Liam, the 5 Seconds of Summer guys, and a few security and crew guys in a ragtag game in an open space behind the arena. Harry hadn't played in ages, but it was a lot of fun, and the team he was on with Louis won the informal game.

After the game came a catered dinner, then a meet and greet with some contest winners. Harry was so impressed with how sweet Liam, Louis, and Zayn were with the young girls, really taking the time to talk with them before signing CDs and taking pictures with them. One of the girls shyly came up to Harry when she was done with Up All Night and asked if he was Louis' boyfriend. When Harry nodded, she asked if she could have a photo with him, too. He was flattered and posed with her while her mum snapped a picture on her phone.

Finally, it was showtime. Harry wished Louis luck with a chaste kiss--they were, after all, in front of all of Louis' colleagues--then allowed a security guy called Travis to escort him to his seat. Once again, Louis had arranged for Harry to watch the concert from the VIP section, and once again he had a sign language interpreter on duty. She was waiting for him when he got to his front row seat, introducing herself as Meredith. They exchanged small talk while they waited for Up All Night to begin their set, then she positioned herself directly in front of the stage to interpret the show.

The band continued to have incredibly energy, and just like at Wembley, they fed off the energy from the crowd. The Paris audience was no less enthusiastic than the crowd at home had been, and just like back at home, even Harry could hear their screams.

The order of songs was just as Harry thought he remembered it from both the final run-through and Wembley until they got to a spot just about halfway. At that point, Louis uncharacteristically ran to the side of the stage the VIP section was on. Harry watched as he met a stagehand there and traded his handheld microphone for one that fit over his head before he leaned over to sign to Meredith that he was going to take over interpreting for Harry for the next song. Though Harry was confused, Meredith seemed unsurprised, and she simply moved to take an empty seat to Harry's right.

Louis faced in Harry's direction to address the audience, signing as he did so.

_"Are you all having fun tonight?"_

The high pitched noise which escalated behind Harry told him that the crowd had answered in the affirmative.

_"I have a very special guest here tonight, my boyfriend, Harry. He's sitting right down here."_ Louis grinned and pointed right down at Harry. _"Stand up and wave, babe."_

Though he was blushing furiously, Harry stood and turned to wave to the audience. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that he had made it up onto the very big screens which sat on either side of the stage. He sat back down as quickly as he could.

Louis went on, _"Isn't he the most handsome guy ever?"_

The audience appeared to roar their agreement.

_"Tonight, we're going to do something a little different. We're going to add a song to our set. It's a song that Ellie Goulding also covered, and it's called 'How Long Will I Love You.'"_

Louis gave the crowd a moment to cheer in approval before he added, _"I would like to dedicate every word to the guy who walked into my life without any warning just a few short months ago and stole my heart. This is for you, Harry."_

Harry felt his eyes grow wide as Louis began to sign the words he was singing.

_"How long will I love you?_

_As long as stars are above you_

_And longer, if I can._

_How long will I love you?_

_As long as the seasons need to_

_Follow their plan._

 

_"How long will I be with you?_

_As long as the sea is bound to_

_Wash upon the sand._

 

_"How long will I want you?_

_As long as you want me to_

_And longer by far._

_How long will I hold you?_

_As long as your father told you,_

_As long as you can._

 

_"How long will I give to you?_

_As long as I live through you_

_However long you say_

 

_"How long will I love you?_

_As long as stars are above you_

_And longer if I can._

 

_"We're all traveling through time together_

_Every day of our lives._

_All we can do is our best_

_To relish this remarkable ride."_

Harry barely caught the last part of the song because the tears coursing down his cheeks were blurring his vision. Never, ever in his life had he imagined someone would say those words to him, nevermind in front of, literally, thousands of people.

He was worried his heart might burst with the amount of love he felt for Louis right in that moment.

The audience was applauding like crazy all around him, but as Louis stopped singing and met Harry's gaze with a hopeful smile. Harry smiled back at him and said, simply, _I will love you as long as you want me to._

_Forever._ Harry could tell that Louis didn't say that part aloud. It was just for him.

_Next song I sign is going to have words by Harry Styles,_ Louis went on to vow. _No arguments!_

Harry was so honoured he found he didn't mind the idea of showing his very personal poetry to someone else. Not if that someone was Louis. He nodded to let Louis know he agreed.

Just then, Liam came up to Louis and whispered something in his ear. Louis nodded, shooting Harry one more look.

_Go back to work,_ Harry told him.

_I love you,_ Louis returned before taking his hand microphone back from the stagehand and joining Liam and Zayn at the front of the stage.

As Up All Night began yet another hit, Meredith resumed her interpretation. It was wasted on Harry, though. He spent the rest of the concert reliving Louis' song for him over and over in his head. He knew he was smiling like a loon--and he didn't care.

That song and the boy who had sung it to him were the best things that had ever happened to him. Bar nothing. He'd smile about them all he wanted to.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

Louis checked his watch again. He had just about two hours until Harry would be ringing his doorbell. He would need every one of those one hundred twenty minutes to make everything perfect.

First, he straightened up wherever it was needed. Since he'd been away on tour for so long, the flat wasn't too messy, but when he had arrived home he'd just opened his suitcases all over his bedroom floor. He took the time to throw his dirty clothes into the laundry room and return his clean clothes to their designated areas.

He picked out some khaki trousers and a button-down shirt before jumping into a quick shower. He dressed in the clothes he'd chosen, then double-checked that the room was as straight as it could be.

Once that was done, he went about the task of setting up the dining room. He laid a tablecloth bequeathed to him by his grandmother on the table, then put out candles and a vase with some flowers in it as a centrepiece. Finally, he set the table with his nicest china and silver--also gifts from his gran.

All that was left was the actual dinner he planned to serve Harry and himself. Chicken stuffed with mozzarella wrapped in parma ham with homemade mashed potatoes. He never had been much of a chef, but this was one meal he could do and, according to those he'd served it to in the past, do well.

The mash was done, and he was just about to start frying the ham when the doorbell rang. His stomach fluttered in nervous anticipation as he set down the spatula and turned off the hob to go let Harry in.

They hadn't seen each other in just about two weeks. Harry had joined Up All Night for most of their North American leg, but had needed to return before it was over to begin his last year of uni. Louis had texted him as soon as he knew when he'd be back in London and invited him for a reunion dinner.

The moment Louis opened the door, Harry threw down the bag he'd been carrying and launched himself into Louis' arms, his mouth finding Louis' with ease. Harry's weight pressed him into the door jamb, but Louis was only vaguely aware of how the thin strip of wood dug into his back.

They kissed until they were both breathless, then Harry retrieved his bag, and Louis was able to pull Harry inside the flat, closing the door behind them. Harry dropped his bag right there in the entryway.

_"Hi,"_ Louis offered a belated greeting.

_Hi,_ Harry returned with a smile. _Missed you._

_"I missed you, too. It just wasn't the same without you there these last couple weeks."_ It had surprised Louis just how quickly he'd grown used to having Harry there once he came with them to Toronto and stayed.

Sometimes Harry would watch the shows from the VIP section, other times he'd just stay backstage reading or hanging with the crew. The rest of the time they got to spend together, either exploring whatever city they were in or decadently spending all day together in their hotel room bed.

Once Harry left, the tour became boring, and Louis simply counted the days, hours, and minutes until he could go home. _"I am so excited to finally be back."_

Harry smiled, then sniffed the air in an exaggerated fashion. _Are you cooking?_

Louis nodded. When Harry started to giggle, Louis looked him with mock sternness. _"No laughing."_

Making a big show of sobering, Harry agreed, _No laughing._ But the twinkle in his eyes told Louis he didn't quite mean it.

_"Who told you?"_ Louis asked, resigned.

_Told me what?_ Harry was all feigned innocence.

_"That I couldn't cook."_

_Not the right question,_ Harry advised, a smile beginning to form again. _The question is who didn't tell me. Shorter answer._

Louis shook his head. _"I need new friends."_

Harry could no longer keep a grin from splitting his face, bringing his dimples out to play. _It smells delicious. What's on the menu?_

_"Chicken stuffed with mozzarella wrapped in parma ham with homemade mash."_ It was a lot of fingerspelling to answer Harry's query, reminding Louis that even though he'd spent lots of time with both Kate and Harry, he still had a lot of sign language to learn.

_Sounds amazing._ Harry leaned forward to plant another kiss on Louis' lips.

_"Come join me in the kitchen while I finish cooking?"_ Louis suggested.

Louis led the way into the kitchen and resumed the frying of the ham, Harry jumping up to sit on the counter to watch, occasionally putting his two pence in regarding what Louis was doing.

It wasn't long at all before the chicken was ready. Louis carried the chicken on a platter and Harry the mashed potatoes, and they moved their small party into the dining room.

Harry whistled when he saw the table, and after he put the dish with the mash down, he commented, _Very romantic!_

What came out of Louis' mouth was, _"You can whistle?"_

Harry nodded, laughing. _Gemma taught me._

_"Cool."_

Harry looked over at the table again. _This is really nice. Thank you._

Louis beamed, pleased that his effort was reaping such a lovely reward. _"I'm glad you like it. Sit. Please."_ He gestured toward the chair at the head of the table.

Harry did as he was bid and sank into the seat Louis had indicated. When Louis had seated himself, he served Harry some chicken and mash before serving himself. He had also set out a bottle of red wine, as well as a bottle of white, not sure which Harry would want. Harry chose white, and when they both had a glassful, they began to eat.

_"So, how are your classes going?"_ Louis asked when a quarter of his chicken breast was gone.

_Good. I just have the one term, then my internship, so I do have to pass everything or the internship won't happen._

_"I haven't a single doubt in my mind you will pass."_

Harry blushed at Louis' words of support. _Thanks._ He took a sip of wine before saying, _The chicken is really good. Perhaps I should not have believed everyone who told me you couldn't cook._

Chuckling, Louis admitted, _"Well, I can't. Not anything but this, in any case."_

_Why learn to make this?_

Louis shrugged. _"I had it in a restaurant once and decided I wanted to try making it. For some reason, it turns out well when nothing else does."_

_You're odd,_ Harry remarked with a fond look.

_"You love me anyway."_

_I do,_ Harry readily agreed, eyes shining brightly.

They just gazed at each other for a moment, happy to be back in each other's presence. Louis finally noted, _"We should finish the food before it goes cold."_

As they finished the meal, Louis regaled Harry with tales of the trip to the Coca-Cola factory they got to take in Atlanta and the boat they took out into the Atlantic while they were visiting Miami. They had tried to fish, but no one other than Zayn had managed to hook anything, leading them to joke that if they were stranded on a desert island, they would all want Zayn with them so they wouldn't starve.

When their plates were clean, Louis took them into the kitchen, placing them in the sink to clean later. He then took the cupcakes he'd bought for dessert and set them on a plate. When he carried them back into the dining room and Harry spotted them, Harry burst into gales of laughter.

_Cupcakes?_ he finally managed to ask.

Louis pretended to pout, but he couldn't quite pull it off. After setting the plate down on the table, he explained, _"I couldn't think of anything else. It isn't a birthday, so a cake seemed wrong. And I just wasn't in the mood for ice cream when I was shopping this morning. So…. Cupcakes."_

Harry stood, put one of his hands on each of Louis' cheeks, and pulled him into a kiss so fervent, Louis feared Harry wanted to devour him.

Once they had thoroughly explored the insides of each other's mouths, they parted, and Harry told Louis, _You are never allowed to change._

Louis grinned. _I will try not to._ He side-stepped his boyfriend and grabbed a cupcake. "Here. Open wide _._ "

Harry obliged, and Louis fed him his first bite of cupcake, handing Harry the rest to finish. Harry, in turn, picked one of the small cakes to feed Louis his initial bite. In no time at all, they'd polished off two cupcakes each before mutually deciding they were stuffed.

As Harry was wiping his chocolate-stained fingers off, Louis announced, _"I have one other thing for you."_

Harry put the napkin down to protest, _I cannot eat another bite._

_"It's not something to eat,"_ Louis assured him. He rose from his seat to go fetch the small black box he'd hidden in a drawer in the kitchen.

Harry's eyes grew wide the second he saw the box in Louis' hands, and before Louis' eyes, the blood drained from his cheeks, leaving him unnaturally pale. He slumped a little in his seat, clearly in the early stages of panic.

Louis struggled to maintain a straight face as he bent on one knee in front of Harry to present him with the box.

_Louis, I don't--_ Louis placed his hand over Harry's, stilling them, and he thrust the box into Harry's hands.

_"Open it,"_ Louis requested. _"Please."_

With clear trepidation, Harry straightened to slowly pull the lid off the box. His entire body froze as he set eyes upon the key laying atop the cotton inside. "A key?" He was visibly confused.

Louis smiled softly, then explained, _"It's the key to my flat. Move in with me?"_

A smile slowly bloomed on Harry's face. He set the box on his thigh so he could sign. _Are you sure?_

Louis held up a finger to indicate Harry should hold on a moment. Off the confused look on Harry's face, he ran from the dining room and opened the front door to ring the doorbell.

When he raced back into the dining room, Harry's brow was creased as he informed Louis, _The lights flashed. Were they supposed to, or is your electricity about to go out?_

Louis grinned. _"That was the doorbell."_

It took Harry a moment to catch on, but when he did, he gazed at Louis with utter tenderness. _You did that for me?_

_"Of course."_ He paused for effect before going on. _"Do you want to ask me again if I'm sure?"_

Harry shook his head, a shy smile on his face now.

_"So, what do you say? Will you move in with me?"_ Louis held his breath as he waited for the verdict.

With clear deliberation, Harry began to nod.

_"You will?"_

Harry's nodding became more vigorous, and Louis beamed from ear to ear.

_"Now, I don't cook, I'm away a lot, and I can be very messy,"_ Louis warned him, though he couldn't wipe the grin from his face to try to adopt a serious air.

_Maybe I shouldn't have agreed so quickly…._ Harry, too, attempted a serious look, but, like Louis, he couldn't quite get there. Instead, he reached out to gather Louis into his arms, squeezing him in a tight hug.

When Harry finally let him go, Louis teased, _"You should have seen your face. You thought I was going to propose!"_

Harry blushed deeply, even as he reached out to slap Louis none-too-gently on the arm. Louis just laughed.

Louis sobered, though, to tell Harry, _"Maybe later on that one."_

Harry met his gaze, nodded, and smiled softly. _Maybe later._

Louis waited a beat, then inquired, _"Did I tell you how much I missed you?"_

_You told me you missed me,_ Harry confirmed, _but not how much._

A lascivious grin took over Louis' face. _"Well, then, shall we retire to our bed so I can show you?"_

_Our bed?_ Harry repeated.

_"Our bed."_

Harry smiled and reached for Louis' hand. "Lead the way."

Louis had never wanted to do anything more.

End (24 August 2014)

 


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